ARVIN Tolentino is expected to take the lead on the Best Player of the Conference race in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup as June Mar Fajardo and Robert Bolick are no longer seeing action in the quarterfinals.
Tolentino is running a close second behind Fajardo with 39.9sps, numbers which he can pad on further as the NorthPort Batang Pier are currently seeded no. 1 going to the playoffs and holding a twice-to-beat advantage against the eighth-seeded Magnolia Hotshots.
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Fajardo still holds the top spot with 42.0sps in the latest statistics released by the league Wednesday night, but will have to watch the playoff proceedings on the sidelines as San Miguel is out of the quarterfinals for the first time in a decade.
It’s the same case with the third-running Bolick (37.1sps) as NLEX was booted out by Magnolia for the last quarterfinals berth in their sudden-death last Sunday, 112-81.
Fajardo leads the league in rebounding with a 16.3 average, while Bolick is no.1 in both scoring (23.5 points) and assists (7.8).
Out to give Tolentino, who’s averaging 23.0 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 3.9 assists in the conference, a run for his money in the BPC race are TNT’s Calvin Oftana (32.7sps) and Converge rookie Jordan Heading (32.5sps).
Like Northport, both TNT and Converge are in the quarterfinals as the nos. 2 and 3 seeded teams, respectively.
It’s the same case in the battle for the Best Import award.
Mike Watkins of NLEX remains on top of the standings with 52.7sps, but could be overtaken by two-time winner Rondae Hollis-Jefferson of no. 2 seed TNT and Kadeem Jack of top seed Northport.
Hollis-Jefferson has 51.8sps and Jack with 51.6sps.
Thanks to Magnolia’s late run in the eliminations, Ricardo Ratliffe moved up in the standings at no.4 with 50.1sps, while Barangay Ginebra’s Justine Brownlee has yet to make his move and is at no.10 with 45.2sps.
Brownlee, won the award three times in the past.
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