NorthPort’s Kadeem Jack (with the ball) finds a way past Chris Mc-Laughlin’s defense for two of his 38 points. —AUGUST DELA CRUZ
NorthPort caught a big fish in tired East Hong Kong on Friday, which not only restored its solo lead in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup, but also put Batang Pier into the Christmas break with a very happy feeling.
But once the holiday festivities subside, Batang Pier, now 6-1 after its 120-113 win at the Philsports Arena, will look for bigger wins as it faces a series of massive challenges against the traditional contenders in the league.
Article continues after this ad
“If we can get the magic number (to make the playoffs) before the end of the year, why not? Coach Bonnie Tan said in Filipino. “Like I told the players, it’s hard to get wins here in the PBA, and we need to continue to run this conference well because this kind of blessing rarely happens.”
NorthPort returns to action on January 8 with a massive test at Barangay Ginebra, a team it hasn’t beaten since the 2019 Governors’ Cup during a 13-game streak.
Also scheduled for January are Meralco on the 14th, Rain or Shine on the 16th and San Miguel Beer on the 21st before enjoying a respite of sorts when Batang Pier takes on struggling Blackwater on the 25th.
Article continues after this ad
The Batang Pier not only took over on its own, but also dusted off the ugly feeling of having suffered its first defeat of the eliminations against the Phoenix Fuel Masters, who before their denunciation were winless.
Import Kadeem Jack scored 38 points, while a red-hot Arvin Tolentino scored 35 as NorthPort handed Eastern its second loss as a league guest participant.
Tolentino believes the win against Eastern can bode well in NorthPort’s quest to build on its impressive performance thus far.
“It’s always fun to play foreign teams,” Tolentino said. “But I think if there’s one positive thing about this loss to Phoenix, it’s that we got our hunger back and we love playing Eastern. So I guess everything is fine.
Tired of traveling
Eastern fell to second at 5-2, two nights after posting a 61-52 win over San Miguel Beer at home in the East Asian Super League. The Hong Kong team traveled to Manila the next day before this match to take the lead in the elimination round.
Coach Mensur Bajramovic’s team will meet the Beermen again on Sunday at the same venue, this time under PBA rules and with each team having an import.
Import Chris McLaughlin had 26 points, 19 rebounds and five assists for Eastern, with Hayden Blankley and Kobey Lam adding 24 and 18.
Magnolia was playing NLEX at press time in an effort to end a four-game skid and begin the process of shaking off its horrible start to the conference.
Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Your subscription was successful.
The Hotshots were hoping to claim just their second win despite the absence of Paul Lee, who suffered a freak injury before the match when a guardrail fell on his head while he was stretching. Lee looked fine but was forced to watch the match on the bench as a precaution.
