CJ Cansino again answered the call for Meralco, scoring the go-ahead basket and pulling off the game’s biggest defensive play to lead the Bolts to a 115-110 win over the upset-conscious Macau Black Knights in Saturday’s main game of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
Cansino buried back-to-back baskets including a floater inside the final two minutes that broke the contest’s final deadlock and put the Bolts in front, 111-109.
He then preserved the win by blocking a potential game-tying three-point shot by Phoenix Shackelford with 30 seconds remaining.
The Bolts won for the second straight time and hiked their record to a second-running 5-1 - their best six-game start since having the same slate in last season's Governors Cup with Allen Durham as import, according to PBA chief statistician Fidel Mangonon III.
Silent working import Marvin Jones had 11 of his 32 points in the fourth quarter, including one off a lob pass from rookie Jason Brickman that gave Meralco a 113-110 lead.
Cansino finished with 23 and had eight in the final period.
But it was his second block shot of the night that sealed the deal for the Bolts as he denied Shackelford a chance to tie the game.
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Until that defensive play, the Macau native was sizzling from the three-point line shooting 4-of-5 from downtown.
"It's hard when you're playing a team that hasn't won, like you're expected to win when you're on the top of the team standings," said Meralco head coach Luigi Trillo afterwards.
"Macau came out and played pretty well at the start. It's hard when you don't have wins, but they somehow found the confidence in them."
Shackelford led the guest team with 29 points, Jenning Leung with 21 and seven rebounds, while former Hong Kong Eastern big man Ramon Cao finished with 20 and eight rebounds.
The Black Knights, who suffered their sixth straight loss to remain in the cellar, kept the game close througout and even held a 109-107 lead inside the final 3:56 on the final 3 of Shackelford.
Cansino went to work from there, tying the game on a jumper before finally putting the Bolts on top when the final two minutes was announced.
The score
Meralco 115 -- Jones 32, Cansino 23, Brickman 13, Newsome 11, Black 9, Rios 7, Almazan 7, Banchero 6, Quinto 3, Hodge 2, Magbuhos 2.
Macau 110 -- Shackelford 29, Leung 21, Cao 20, Mitchell 16, Chongqui 13, Lao 9, Li 2, Sun 0, Li 0.
Quarters: 26-25; 53-57; 87-81; 115-110.
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