Texters frustrate Kings behind Jordan explosion

New import Jerome Jordan bucked a slow start by pumping in 23 points and grabbing 17 rebounds in 39 minutes of play before a jampacked crowd at the Mall of Asia Arena.

But the 7-foot Jordan’s biggest contribution came at the defensive end as he limited the usually efficient Barangay Ginebra import Vernon Macklin to just 12 points on 3-of-12 shooting.

“It’s the third straight game we had a good effort on defense,” said Talk ‘N Text coach Norman Black afterwards.

“Jerome Jordan was a big help for us defensively. So we didn’t have to double team Vernon Macklin because he did a good job defensively one-on-one so we could just close out on their shooters,” he added.

The Tropang Texters collected their seventh win in 13 starts, assuring themselves of at least a no. 5 seeding heading into the final play date of the eliminations.

Talk ‘N Text could even go as high as securing fourth spot if it beats Petron in the final day of eliminations on Wednesday as the Tropang Texters hold a superior quotient over the San Mig Coffee Mixers.

The Kings dropped their second straight game and fell to an even 7-7 record. They could possibly drop as the no. 7 seed if Meralco beats Rain or Shine also on Wednesday.

With Macklin struggling, Kerby Raymundo took the scoring cudgels for the Kings with 22 big points before fouling out with eight minutes to go.

LA Tenorio added 15 points, five rebounds, and five assists for Ginebra.

The scores

Talk ‘N Text (100) -- Jordan 23, De Ocampo 20, Castro 14, Reyes 11, Alapag 11, Al-Hussaini 7, Dillinger 5, Carey 4, Peek 4, Fonacier 1, Raymundo.

Barangay Ginebra (86) -- Raymundo 22, Tenorio 15, Baracael 13, Macklin 12, Helterbrand 12, Ellis 5, Hatfield 4, Maierhofer 3, Taha 0, Jensen 0, Labagala 0, Espiritu 0.

Quarterscores: 32-17; 47-37; 70-63; 100-86.