MANILA, Philippines, November 6 ------ Magnolia rode on the momentum of its dominant offseason and held off shorthanded TNT, 110-102, to open hostilities in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the Araneta Coliseum. Unbeaten in 11 games in the PBA On Tour exhibition series, the Hotshots led from start to finish against the Tropang Giga to kick off the 48th season on the right foot with a convincing victory powered by import Tyler Bey. Bey, a former NBA player for the Dallas Mavericks, produced 31 points, 20 rebounds, and 3 steals in a rousing PBA debut as Magnolia led by as many as 19 points.
The Hotshots’ locals were no slouches either. Mark Barroca put up 19 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists off the bench, while Paul Lee churned out 17 points and 5 assists. Slotted into the starting lineup, James Laput recorded 8 points and 6 rebounds, including the short stab that gave Magnolia its biggest lead of the game at 100-81 with six minutes left. Although TNT chipped away at its deficit and got within 102-108 off back-to-back Matt Ganuelas-Rosser and Glenn Khobuntin layups, Bey sealed the win for the Hotshots with a putback dunk with 25 seconds remaining.
Ian Sangalang made his presence felt in the win with 9 points and 8 rebounds as he played in his first official PBA game since January after suffering from hyperthyroidism. Quincy Miller chalked up 37 points, 14 rebounds, 4 steals, and 2 blocks to lead a TNT side beset by personnel woes as it missed key players Mikey Williams, Roger Pogoy, Poy Erram, and Justin Chua. Williams is out due to a reported contract dispute with the Tropang Giga, Pogoy is recovering from a myocarditis, while Erram and Chua are recuperating from knee injuries.
TNT almost played without an import as Rondae Hollis-Jefferson remains sidelined after dealing with gastroenteritis before it signed up Miller, who secured his release from his former PBA team Converge. Calvin Oftana backstopped Miller with 28 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds, and 3 steals on the day he and his Gilas Pilipinas teammates were feted for winning the gold medal in the Asian Games.
The Scores
Magnolia 110 – Bey 31, Barroca 19, Lee 17, Dionisio 9, Sangalang 9, Dela Rosa 8, Laput 8, Jalalon 5, Ahanmisi 4, Tratter 0, Eriobu 0.
TNT 102 – Miller 37, Oftana 28, K. Williams 14, Ganuelas-Rosser 6, Castro 5, Cruz 5, Ponferrada 3, Aurin 0, Reyes 0, Tungcab 0, Heruela 0.
Quarters: 26-16, 56-49, 81-73, 110-102.
Source: rappler.com
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