MAGNOLIA booked win No. 6 in the PBA Philippine Cup in a fight-marred game against Meralco on Wednesday night.
The Hotshots scored a runaway 117-92 victory to remain as the only undefeated team in the season-ending conference with a 6-0 slate.
An altercation however, marred the match at endgame as Cliff Hodge tackled Zavier Lucero at midcourt with 2:16 left to play and the Hotshots way ahead, 112-89.
READ Patrimonio, Nenad also get heated during Magnolia-Meralco match
The physical play halted the game for about 20 minutes as both benches emptied as officials tried prevent the incident from escalating into a full-blown commotion.
In the first game, NLEX coasted past hapless Terrafirma, 117-87, to likewise stretch its win streak at five.
The Road Warriors kept their hold of second place at 5-1 behind the Hotshots, while dealing the injury-plagued Dyip their sixth straight loss (1-6).
Here are the four takeaways in the pair of blowouts at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
1. HODGE ACTION WAS UNCALLED FOR – the veteran forward best typifies the role of a blue-collar worker in the league. But for all his hard work and resilience, the foul Hodge committed against Lucero was overboard and could have resulted in further damage. The long-time Meralco stalwart tried to take Lucero down on the floor by grabbing the Magnolia big man’s head with both his hands. While Hodge may mean no harm, it wasn’t exactly a move necessary inside a basketball court. It was but a natural reaction from Lucero to be furious following the foul that merited Hodge an F1. Notwithstanding the physical play, the Meralco Fil-Am actually ended up with a modest game for the Bolts with 10 points, five rebounds, two assists, a steal and a block shot in 38 minutes of play while shooting 4-of-9 from the field.
2. BENCH-CLEARING INCIDENT CAN'T TAKE SHINE FROM PAUL LEE HOT SHOOTING NIGHT – the 36-year-old gunner played his best game so far in the season-ending meet by firing a game-high 27 points. He was in a zone during the fourth quarter when he scored an amazing 18 straight points to help Magnolia seal the outcome of the match. Lee finished with a 6-of-9 clip from the field, including 4-of-5 from the four-point line, tying the franchise high for the most four-point shot converted held by Jerrick Ahanmisi. So before Hodge and Lucero figured in a heated physical play, Lee was the first to catch fire on the playing floor.
3. CAREER MILESTONE FOR CHRIS NEWSOME – overshadowed by the Meralco loss and the endgame scrap was Newsome becoming the latest member of the league’s 5,000-point club. The Fil-Am guard and long-time face of the Bolts achieved the mark at the final 5:53 mark of the game, becoming the 99th member of the elite group, 94th among locals, and the 14th among active players. He is the fifth Meralco player to achieve the mark in franchise history after Mark Cardona, Mike Cortez, Nino Canaleta, and Reynel Hugnatan as per PBA chief statistician Fidel Mangonon III.
4. SMOOTH JOURNEY FOR NLEX SO FAR – the Road Warriors are looking good halfway through their campaign in the Philippine Cup. Their fifth straight victory tied the longest win streak in franchise history first achieved in the 2019 Governors’ Cup. Its 5-1 start also marks the second straight All-Filipino conference NLEX registered the same record. Unless disaster strike, the Road Warriors already had one of their foot inside the playoffs.
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