Justin Patton turned in a solid PBA debut and helped San Miguel get back on track in the Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup by keeping Macau winless through a dominant 110-94 victory, Tuesday night at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

The former NBA pro finished with all-around numbers of 24 points on 10-of-19 shooting, 17 rebounds, two assists, three steals, and a block as he led the traditional contenders’ early surge to seize full control of the match.

He already had 18 points in the first half to show the way toward a 62-51 lead at the half, and the locals would buckle down to work come the third for the breakaway toward improving to .500 anew in the standings with a 2-2 record.

The Black Knights, on the other hand, fell to their fifth loss in as many outings, thus remaining the only winless team in this midseason joust.

(C) PBA Images

“Makikita niyo naman kanina, he really wanted to play, and I gave him a lot of time because hindi pa adjusted to the Philippine brand of basketball. He’s trying to figure it out,” offered head coach Leo Austria on the 7-foot-1 Patton.

“Yesterday, we had a long practice, for him to know what kind of plays we’re going to run. The good thing with him, lahat ng sinasabi namin, he was able to pick it up right away,” added the four-time Coach of the Year.

CJ Perez top-scored for SMB with 26 points, alongside three rebounds and five assists. June Mar Fajardo nearly tallied a triple-double, as he finished with 16 points, 16 rebounds, and six assists, and added two steals as well.

Marcio Lassiter made 12 points, spiked by two triples, while Don Trollano added 10 markers, five rebounds, and four assists, in the victory that brought them back on track after getting blown out by Bol Bol and TNT last Saturday.

The bounce-back, furthermore, served as a warm welcome to Jericho Cruz, who’s back in action after being out for nearly a month due to back spasms.

“Siyempre, ‘pag buo kami, mas masaya,” offered Perez, who came away with Player of the Game honors. “Pag sama-sama mas may tsansa manalo.”

By beating Macau, SMB has regained much-needed confidence before heading into a killer stretch ahead, in which it will be facing Ginebra, current leaders Rain or Shine, and another rival in Magnolia in its next three games.

That starts this Easter Sunday with the Kings in a battle between long-time league heavyweights, to be held at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.

“Going into this game, we were really worried because at 1-2, we cannot afford to lose another game at maging 1-3 before the Holy Week break,” Austria said.

“Magandang baon ito para papunta ng simbahan, maraming babati sa inyo na nanalo kayo,” the 68-year-old bench tactician added in jest.

(C) PBA Images

Tony Mitchell, on the other hand, had 23 points and 10 rebounds for Macau, who actually tried to fight back between the third and fourth quarters.

They managed to cut what was once a 25-point third-quarter gap to only eight early in the final period behind guard Phoenix Shackelford, but Cruz and Lassiter responded with five quick points to keep them at bay.

And those buckets would actually trigger the run to put it away for good, as Patton and Rodney Brondial came in to help out and put together a 12-0 rally in total to make it a 105-85 spread entering the game’s final seven minutes.

Damian Chongqui had 19 points, five rebounds, and seven assists. Ramon Cao supplied a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds.

Lao Chonpong made 15 points off the bench, while Jenning Leung added 11 points and nine rebounds for a Black Knights team that has hardly made any improvements despite bringing in a new head coach in Marcus Elliott.

The Scores:

San Miguel 110 – Perez 26, Patton 24, Fajardo 16, Lassiter 12, Trollano 10, Cruz 7, Tautuaa 6, Tiongson 5, Brondial 2, Calma 2, Miller 0, Cahilig 0, Mantua 0.

Macau 94 – Mitchell 23, Chongqui 19, Cao 18, Lao 15, Leung 11, Shackelford 6, Chao 2, Li 0, Lu 0, Chen 0, Zhu 0.

Quarterscores: 33-26, 62-51, 93-83, 110-94.

The post Justin Patton delivers in PBA debut as San Miguel cruises past Macau appeared first on Tiebreaker Times.

Seeing Justin Patton’s ability to become a threat on both ends of the floor was enough to convince the San Miguel Beer coaches and management to switch imports three games into the PBA Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup.

No less than head coach Leo Austria explained as much when asked about the rationale behind the decision to bring in the former NBA pro in place of Marcus Lee, who was their original choice for the midseason tournament.

“A few inches lang na mas malaki si Justin Patton, and based on the clips na nakita namin, he can shoot from the three, and from out of the shaded area,” he said shortly after their 110-94 victory over Macau on Tuesday night.

That game against the Black Knights, witnessed by a good crowd at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium, also happened to be Patton’s debut, and he did perform.

Listed at 7-foot-1, the 28-year-old center fired 18 points in the first half alone to help his side’s strong surge to take the lead for good, and went on to finish with 24 points and 17 rebounds–another facet which Austria appreciates as well.

In fact, he finished with a full stat line, as he also tallied two assists, three steals, and a block. And the four-time PBA Press Corps Coach of the Year was pleased with the way he contributed on defense, being a rim protector.

(C) PBA Images

“Makikita natin, he’s a good rebounder. At kanina talagang makikita niyo ‘yung kanyang size, something that could intimidate [the other team] dahil na-limit namin ‘yung inside points ng kalaban,” Austria offered.

“Except ‘yung second chance points nila, ‘yung mga napulot. Pero halos walang maka-penetrate sa kanya, eh,” added the 68-year-old former Adamson coach.

Patton being formally brought in happened days after their humiliating loss to TNT, in which they got overpowered by a team led by Bol Bol, who’s undeniably been the yardstick among the reinforcements of the ongoing conference.

Will he be SMB’s answer to the 7-foot-3 winger? It remains to be seen, but the team is filled with optimism that he could just be what they’re looking for.

“Malaki maitutulong nun ‘pag nakondisyon,” offered nine-time MVP June Mar Fajardo.

“Ngayon kasi, naninibago pa siya sa weather… pero sa nilaro niya ngayon, sana tuloy-tuloy ‘yung maganda niyang ipinakita.”

For now, Patton’s string of tests lies ahead in their next three outings, in which the Beermen will be facing Barangay Ginebra, Rain or Shine, and Magnolia–a killer stretch which begins this Easter Sunday at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.

“‘Yung plano namin, nag-start kahapon. We had to win against Macau because it would give us confidence,” said Austria. “Especially, we have a new import.”

“Dahil alam mo naman ang mga players, ‘pag nakita ang import mo, hindi nakakatulong; ‘yung confidence nila bumababa, eh. But after tonight’s game, I think he will help us a lot, especially on rebounding and rim protection,” he added.

“That’s why ‘yung mga susunod na game, malalakas din, and I think it will be exciting games for us.”

The post After Bol Bol’s show, Leo Austria and June Mar Fajardo see big impact from Justin Patton appeared first on Tiebreaker Times.

Historic.

That’s the only word to describe Cabs Cabonilas’ senior year campaign with Far Eastern University-Diliman.

Besides leading the Baby Tamaraws to their 10th title in the UAAP High School Boys’ Basketball division, the 6-foot-4 forward also made league history.

For the first time ever, a player was named both the regular season and finals Most Valuable Player.

It’s a feat no one else has achieved — not even UAAP greats like Kai Sotto, Carl Tamayo, Kiefer and Thirdy Ravena, Jerie Pingoy, or Justine Baltazar.

(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team

Cabonilas averaged 15.79 points, 8.86 rebounds, 3.79 assists, 1.79 steals, and 1.5 blocks per game in the season.

He stepped up even more in the finals, putting up 24.0 points, 12.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 2.3 blocks, and 2.0 steals across the three-game series.

For the 19-year-old native of Digos City, the achievement is a testament to his teammates and coaches.

“Yung pagkuha ko sa dalawang MVP, hindi para sa akin, para sa coaches, pamilya, at teammates ko ito,” he said after FEU-Diliman’s epic 106-102 win over NUNS in Game 3 of the Finals on Monday.

Mike Reyes, who serves as both head coach of the Baby Tamaraws and basketball program director of FEU, couldn’t help but be in awe of Cabonilas.

“Wala akong masasabi kay Cabs. They played good defense on him. Sabi ko, kailangan natin ma-counter, they’re playing your strong side, kailangan natin maka-atake sa right mo, and nagawa naman niya,” shared Reyes. “There was a leading basket designed for Cabs. I told him, Cabs, desisyon mo na. Kung meron ka, you take it; kung wala, ikaw na mag-decide. It’s your decision.

“Wala kang masasabi sa puso ni Cabs.”

(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team

But Cabonilas’ high school journey is not yet over.

Already a two-time UAAP champion in 5-on-5, Cabonilas is now eyeing another title — a second 3×3 crown next month.

After that, he will make his next move.

“Next journey ko, parang… Parang hindi ko pa masasagot ’yan eh kasi parang… parang pag-iisipan ko. Pero sa tingin ko, parang hindi ko muna… Pero tingnan ko muna yung pamilya ko,” he said.

“Enjoy muna. Enjoy muna ako ngayon.”

The post First-Ever Dual MVP: Cabs Cabonilas makes UAAP boys’ basketball history appeared first on Tiebreaker Times.