MYLES POWELL threw his might around once more and powered the Hong Kong Bay Area Dragons past NLEX, 118-98, to solidify their bid to snatch a twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals of Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Powell exploded with 24 of his 36 points in the first half as the Dragons spewed fire all night long to make the Road Warriors look bad.
After racking up 50 points in Bay Area’s 120-87 victory over Rain or Shine on his return to active duty after replacing Andrew Nicholson last Friday, Powell also grabbed eight rebounds, dished out six assists and made two steals.
“My teammates keep pushing me everyday in the gym and they believe in me so it makes everything easier for me,” the 6-foot-2 former Philadelphia 76ers combo guard told the media. “We just have to keep rolling and work hard every game.”
Glen Yang distributed 15 points, five rebounds, five assists and two steals while Hayden Blankley got 13 points, 14 rebounds and six assists for the visitors. Kobe Lam had 12 points for the Dragons who are now 8-2 won-lost.
“I felt comfortable that we’re going to get into these playoffs with our tremendous start,” said Brian Goorjian, who wards were way ahead, 108-85, with under six minutes left on Powell’s alley-oop dunk off Blankley’s assist.
“We certainly understand the competition and how it operates and finishing in the top two is a huge advantage,” Goorjian said. “We are focused on trying to do that.”
Ju Mingxin and 7-foot-5 Liu Chuanxing added 11 points apiece for the Bay Dragons.
The Road Warriors suffered their fourth straight loss to fall to 3-6.
Image credits: Rudy Esperas