MERALCO pushed defending champion Barangay Ginebra on the cusp of elimination after dealing its longtime rival a 79-66 beating on Thursday in the PBA Philippine Cup at the Don Honorio Ventura State University gym in Bacolor, Pampanga.
The Bolts raced to a 19-point first-half lead, withstood a huge Kings comeback in the third quarter before righting the ship in the final 12 minutes to deal the league's most popular ballclub its worst loss in the conference.
After falling to a tie at 4-7 (win-loss) with Terrafirma and Phoenix, the Kings, who played minus injured starters Japeth Aguilar and Scottie Thompson, can only hope for a NorthPort win over Alaska in the second game of the elimination round's final playdate to have a playoff shot at the eighth and last berth in the playoffs.
Othewise, a win by Aces would eliminate the reigning champions and leave the Fuel Masters and the Dyip in a playoff for the final quarterfinals slot.
[Editors' note: NorthPort win over Alaska gives Ginebra another shot at playoffs]
"We just wanted to win the game. I know we played them a lot over the years, but it's a game that just happened to be at the end of the conference," said coach Norman Black, who played down the payback factor over the heartbreaking losses the Bolts suffered at the hands of Ginebra over the past few years.
"We wanted to go into the playoffs with momentum. We don't want to go to the playoffs with a loss. It just so happened Ginebra is our opponent today."
Meralco newbies Mac Belo and rookie Alvin Pasaol led the charge with 15 points and seven rebounds each, while Chris Newsome atoned for a so-so game on Wednesday by coming up with an all-around effort of 10 points, nine rebounds, and six assists.
Bolts face NLEX in playoffs
The Bolts finished their elimination round campaign with a 9-2 record and will face No. 7 NLEX in the first round of the playoffs, where they will enjoy a twice-to-beat advantage.
Everything appeared to be over when the Bolts posted a 47-28 lead late in the first half as the Kings struggled on the floor and relied only on the trio Stanley Pringle, Christian Standhardinger, and LA Tenorio.
Still, the defending champions still had a lot of fight as Tenorio and Pringled willed them back into the game. They were down by just four points entering the final quarter.
But the Bolts wouldn't be denied as Belo, Newsome, and back-up guard Anjo Caram stabilized the team's offense to douse cold water on on Ginebra's rally.
Pringle led the Kings with 19 points, four rebounds, and four steals, while Standhardinger was good for a double-double of 17 points and 14 rebounds, with four assists to boot.
The scores:
Meralco (79) - Pasaol 15, Belo 15, Newsome 10, Quinto 8, Maliksi 7, Jamito 7, Almazan 6, Caram 4, Hodge 3, Pinto 2, Baclao 2, Jackson 0.
Ginebra (66) - Pringle 19, Standhardinger 17, Tenorio 11, Chan 7, Mariano 6, Devance 4, Dillinger 2, Caperal 0, Enriquez 0, Holmqvist 0.
Quarterscores: 23-15; 47-32; 55-51; 79-66.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
