ALEX MALLARI made sure Mahindra won’t end the holiday season winless.
The left-handed Mallari banged in a career-tying 23 points, hauled down 11 rebounds, dished out four assists and added four steals to gift the Floodbuster a thrilling 97-93 overtime win over Blackwater Elite on Christmas Day at the Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan.
The Filipino-American wingman was at his best in the payoff quarter, firing nine points to help Mahindra stage a giant comeback from a 15-point deficit and force the extension period.
Mahindra then rode the momentum of its late-game fightback to finally barge into the win column after opening the Philippine Cup with five straight losses. Mallari’s scintillating performance earned him the last Accel-Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Press Corps Player of the Week for 2016, beating out the likes of Phoenix rookie Matthew Wright, Ginebra’s Japeth Aguilar, Rain or Shine big man Jewel Ponferada and Blackwater freshman Mac Belo.
Known for his ability to slash to the basket, Mallari was on attack basket every time he sees a slight opening from Blackwater’s seemingly relaxed defense.
“The lanes were open so I kept attacking. Coach [Chris Gavina] kept telling me to attack so I attacked,” said Mallari, a four-time PBA champion who was traded to Mahindra in the off-season.
Mahindra will take a long break before swinging back to action on January 11 against Meralco at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
BEERMEN VS BOLTS
DEFENDING champion San Miguel Beer makes its move to sprint ahead of the standings as it battles Meralco, while GlobalPort goes for a share of second spot when it tackles Phoenix on Wednesday at the resumption of the Philippine Cup today at the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City. The Beermen (4-1) are coming off a 10-day break when they tackle the Bolts (2-3) in the 7 p.m. main game. GlobalPort (3-2), on the other hand, takes on Phoenix (3-3), which is fresh from its 94-90 conquest of Meralco, at 4:15 p.m.
San Miguel Beer’s veterans waxed hot in a 26-point demolition of NLEX, 106-80, on December 17, with Alex Cabagnot catching fire by finishing with 18 points, and three-time Most Valuable Player June Mar Fajardo and one-time MVP Arwind Santos tallying 15 points apiece. The Bolts, meanwhile, are hard-pressed to bounce back from that loss to the Fuel Masters last week, where they succumbed to a late-game meltdown and saw their 10-point advantage entering the final quarter disappear, as Phoenix rookie Matthew Wright delivered the goods in the stretch.