There was no stopping the fired-up Magnolia Hotshots, which remained unbeaten in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup after winning against the NLEX Road Warriors, 111-97, on 12 October at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Nick Rakocevic, hobbled by a knee injury, outplayed his more illustrious counterpart, NLEX’s Earl Clark.
The hardworking, 24-year-old Rakocevic pumped in 36 points, 15 of which came in the third period when Magnolia outscored NLEX, 28-17.
He also pulled down 15 rebounds as the Hotshots advanced to a win-loss record to 4-0.
Clark, the prominent NBA veteran, had only 15 points and was scoreless in the fourth period.
Magnolia coach Chito Victolero, who entered the hardcourt onboard a mobility scooter after undergoing surgery on his raptured Achilles on 7 October, went about his work, directing plays at the sidelines.
The scores:
Magnolia (111) — Rakocevic 36, Jalalon 18, Barroca 16, Lee 9, Dionisio 8, Corpuz 8, Ahanmisi 4, Abueva 3, Reavis 3, Wong 2, Laput 2, Zaldivar 2, Mendoza 0, Escoto 0.
NLEX (97) — Chua 16, Alas 16, Clark 15, Ganuelas-Rosser 15, Trollano 12, Nieto 7, Fonacier 6, Ighalo 6, Varilla 3, Miranda 1, Celda 0.
Quartersscores; 34-23; 58-48; 86-65; 111-97.