MAGNOLIA opted not to field in the hurting Shabazz Muhammad against import-less NorthPort in their PBA Governors’ Cup game Friday night.
The Hotshots found no need to play the 31-year-old reinforcement to give him time to recover from a knee injury he suffered in their previous game against TNT Tropang Giga.
Muhammad went down with the injury following a freak accident as he landed badly while going for a dunk during warmups, SPIN.ph learned from multiple sources.
Muhammad, a first-round pick in the 2013 NBA Draft, was a replacement for fellow NBA player Glenn Robinson III.
Magnolia fights fire with fire
With the Batang Pier playing without an import following the partial Achilles rupture tendon suffered by Venky Jois, Magnolia chose to go all-Filipino as well.
Still, the Hotshots took care of business right away, taking a 29-13 lead after just the first quarter before settling to a 57-35 edge at the break.
Magnolia won the game, 110-94, to clinch a berth in the quarterfinals as Aris Dionisio hit a career-high 30 points.
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