MANILA, January 11 ------ The Phoenix Super LPG Fuel Masters are now in solo second in the 2023-24 PBA Commissioners' Cup, after a hard-earned 93-83 victory over the Meralco Bolts on Wednesday at the Araneta Coliseum. Four players scored in double-digits for the Fuel Masters, led by Jason Perkins with 22 points on a highly-efficient 9-of-13 shooting clip. Import Johnathan Williams III finished with a 19-point, 15-rebound double-double. But it was veteran RJ Jazul who made sure that Phoenix Super LPG would walk away with the victory, as he drilled a dagger three-pointer with 1:17 left to push their lead to eight points, 91-83, and deny any hopes of a Meralco comeback. "In the last 50 seconds, we just wanted the ball in RJ's [hands]. We are a very young team. RJ has been in these situations for a thousand times, so we want him making the right decisions," said Phoenix Super LPG coach Jamike Jarin after the game. "We were doing some careless stuff that turned out to be turnovers, and Meralco was able to convert. I just wanted the ball with the most experienced [player] in our team," he added.
Jazul finished with 13 points, five rebounds, three assists, and a steal in 17 minutes off the bench. With the win, Phoenix Super LPG improved to 8-2, putting them at solo second and securing their twice-to-beat advantage in the playoffs. However, Jarin made it clear that their focus remains on their final elimination round assignment against the TNT Tropang GIGA on January 14. "We still need to play Talk 'N Text. We're gonna prepare for Talk 'N Text. We still don't know who were gonna be matched up in the playoffs. Nothing beyond the game vs. Talk 'N Text on the 14th," the coach said.
The Fuel Masters led by as much as 22 points thanks to a hot start that saw them fire 31 points in the opening quarter alone. But the Bolts were able to make a game out of it in the final period, coming to within five points, 88-83, off a Shonn Miller dunk with under three minutes to go. A missed three-pointer by Chris Newsome prevented the Bolts from edging closer, and Jazul nailed his own triple on the other end to take the wind out of the Bolts' sails.
Miller led Meralco with 19 points and nine rebounds, while Chris Banchero had 15 and Newsome added 13. But the Bolts shot just 39% from the field while allowing the Fuel Masters to make 54% of their own shots. The Bolts dropped to 7-3, putting them in a three-way tie with San Miguel and Barangay Ginebra for the third to fifth spots in the league standings.
The Scores:
PHOENIX 93 – Perkins 22, Williams 19, Tio 15, Jazul 13, Tuffin 6, Mocon 5, Rivero 5, Alejandro 4, Verano 2, Manganti 2, Camacho 0, Siyud 0, Garcia 0
MERALCO 83 – Miller 19, Banchero 15, Newsome 13, Quinto 10, Black 8, Almazan 8, Rios 5, Hodge 5, Pascual 0, Maliksi 0, Bates 0, Caram 0
QUARTERS: 31-19, 54-47, 78-66, 93-83
Source: news.abs-cbn.com
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