MERALCO arrested its two-game losing skid by beating NLEX, 114-98, on Thursday in the 2023 PBA Governors’ Cup at the Philsports Arena.
KJ McDaniels had a dominating performance, contributing 31 points and 21 rebounds as the Bolts improved to 4-3 (win-loss).
The Bolts scored 22 straight points in the first half to pull away and maintained a safe gap the rest of the way to send the Road Warriors reeling to a fifth loss in eight games.
Allein Maliksi also fueled the Meralco attack with 19 points, six rebounds, and four assists in a win that enhanced its chances of making it to the quarterfinals after losing to TNT and San Miguel, the top two squads in the eliminations.
Meralco led by as many as 21 points, 37-16, after that run bridging the first and second quarters. The Bolts’ lead went down to 90-85 until McDaniels and Maliksi conspired to bring it back up.
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“Basketball is really a game of runs. You rarely see a team blow out a team for the entire game. Sometimes, you get a good run. You don’t know exactly why but the other team figures it out, come back," said Meralco coach Norman Black.
“In the end, we were able to get some stops and Allein hit big shots, and KJ was a dominant player and a force in the paint,” Black added.
Chris Newsome tallied 18 points and eight assists, while Aaron Black added 15 points. Cliff Hodge had nine points and eight rebounds, and joined the 1,000-offensive rebound club after the four he grabbed in the contest.
Wayne Selden Jr. had 29 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists as the Road Warriors lost for the second time in the last three games.
The scores:
Meralco 114 – McDaniels 31, Maliksi 19, Newsome 18, Black 15, Hodge 9, Caram 8, Almazan 7, Banchero 5, Quinto 2, Jose 0.
NLEX 98 – Selden 29, Trollano 19, Ganuelas-Rosser 16, Alas 13, Nieto 9, Semerad 9, Rosales 3, Miranda 0, Pascual 0, Gabo 0.
Quarters: 27-16; 56-46; 87-71; 114-98.
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