LEAGUE leader San Juan kept its lethal form while Paranaque and Zamboanga also dominated separate foes in Season 6 of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL), Thursday night inside Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City.
Knights routed the Bulacan Kuyas, 114-87,
Showing the form that made them the 2019 MPBL champion, the Knights dominated the Bulacan Kuyas 114-87 to improve to 25-1 and keep a stronghold of the overall standings in the round-robin elimination phase of the two-division, 29-team tournament.
Michael Calisaan led six Knights in twin digits with 16, followed by Marwin Taywan with 13, Dexter Maiquez with 12 plus 12 rebounds, Orlan Wamar with 12 plus eight assists, and AC Soberano and Egie Boy Mojica with 10 points each.
Bulacan tumbled to 2-25 despite John Cayno Carandang's 36 points, five rebounds and three blocks.
The Paranaque Patriots likewise had a walk in the park in its 111-82 drubbing of Bacolod in the opening game.
The Patriots were powered by JP Sarao and John John Uduba with 19 points each, and homegrown John Anthony Umali with 16 points.
Bacolod got mired in the cellar with a 1-25 card.
In the nightcap, Zamboanga Master Sardines snapped Pasay’s winning run at home with an 87-78 win.
Former MVP Jaycee Marcelino flirted with a triple double as he finished with 12 assists, 10 rebounds and nine points to tow Zamboanga to a 20-6 record.
Pasay moved closer at 51-58, only to be buried by a 13-point avalanche, sparked by back-to-back triples by Chito Jaime and Rey Publico that shoved Zamboanga to safe ground, 71-57, with 57.4 seconds left in the third quarter.
Following their first loss after 10 games at their homecourt, the Voyagers dropped to 17-10 in the North Division despite Laurenz Victoria's 21-point output.
The MPBL returns to the Caloocan Sports Complex on Friday with games pitting Quezon City against Bataan at 4 p.m., South Cotabato against Davao at 6 p.m., and Negros against Caloocan at 8 p.m.
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