BACOLOD Masskara just hit a new low in the 2026 Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) season.
That says a lot for a team that has already suffered an 84-point blowout loss early in the tournament.
On Tuesday, not a few viewers who were watching the Masskara–Bulacan Kuyas game felt insulted with how Bacolod closed out the game, going scoreless in the final 7:48 with the Kuyas ending the match on a 19-0 run to take a 100-64 win.
While scoring droughts like this one aren’t a new thing in basketball, it was in the manner of how Bacolod went through it which made it so questionable.
In that stretch, Bacolod had six turnovers, missed all four of its free-throw attempts and oftentimes looked like they weren’t interested in scoring. They were called, or nearly called for a shot clock violation four times.
In the possessions they did beat – they threw wild shots that had no chance of going in like the one Lex Teruel threw which hit nothing but the backboard.
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It was so questionable that MPBL’s lead commentator Cedelf Tupas was going crazy on the call.
“You pass the ball here. Here!” Tupas said in one Bacolod possession, seemingly coaching the players out of frustration before seeing them turn the ball over instantly. “Kung kailan hindi na kailangan i-pasa doon pinasa.”
“Oh my gosh I got to stop covering Bacolod games cause tataas ang aking blood pressure,” Tupas, co-incidentally a proud son of Bacolod, continued.
“It’s tough to watch because there were so many opportunities to score. Scoreless in the last eight minutes. Come on. Come on guys.”
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Questionable decisions, questionable team
As mentioned earlier, this isn’t the first time questions were thrown at Bacolod – whether it be game fixing allegations or just sheer lack of competitiveness.
Aside from losing by 84 against Abra, Bacolod has two losses by 50 or more, starting with a 52-point 113-61 loss vs. Quezon, a 51-point 113-62 loss vs. Bataan and three more losses including this one vs. the Kuyas where they were routed by at least 36 points or more.
Knowing how the MPBL has kept a short leash on alleged match fixers, it will be interesting to see how the league acts up on this one.
READ: MPBL revokes Iloilo franchise after 'abandoning' obligations
Just last month, the league handed a ban on the Iloilo United Royals for unpaid salaries and suspicion of game fixing. In 2024, 47 players and coaches were hit with bans in an attempt of the league to 'clean house.'
The first ever widespread ban because of game fixing happened in 2019 when league founder Manny Pacquiao and then-commissioner Kenneth Duremdes hit 21 members of the Socksargen Marlins including its owners with a ban after losing 18 straight games.
READ: MPBL bans 47 players, officials for 'game-fixing,' lifts limit on ex-pros
The case even reached the DOJ but most of the charges were dropped, including the one on team owner Kevin Espinosa for insufficient evidences.
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