Phoenix kept its season alive by showing a lot of life.
The Fuel Masters showed the needed sense of urgency as they unleashed a first-quarter outburst that allowed them to annihilate GlobalPort, 135-108, and snap out of their four-game losing skid in the 2018 Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum last night.
Eugene Phelps was an absolute workhorse, dropping game-highs of 37 points and 23 rebounds to spearhead the charge for Phoenix, even as Matthews Wright shone as well with 24 points as the Fuel Masters boosted their bid for a berth in the quarterfinals. Jason Perkins and RJ Jazul added 13 and 11 markers, respectively.
Knowing it needs to get going, Phoenix started with a bang, exploding for 41 points right away in the first quarter to cut loose early with a gigantic 19-point lead, 41-22.
That explosive start proved to be the difference as it paved the way for a total blowout.
Phoenix maintained its lead and kept it at the half, 70-51, before taking care of business further in the second half all the way to victory.
By the end of the third, the Fuel Masters stretched its lead further to 30, 107-77.
The win enabled the Fuel Masters to stay in the hunt for a quarterfinals’ berth as they improved to 4-6 with a game left. At the same time, the loss put the Batang Pier in a dangerous spot as it dropped to 4-5.
Both teams are knotted in the middle of a tight race from the No. 7 to 10 spots in the standings.
They need to score wins in their final assignments to have a good shot of making it to the next round.
Malcolm White had a team-high 24 points for the Batang Pier.
The scores:
Phoenix 135—Phelps 37, Wright 24, Perkins 13, Jazul 11, Revilla 9, Intal 9, Gamboa 9, Kramer 6, Wilson 6, Dehesa 4, Guevarra 3, Chua 2, Mendoza 2, Eriobu 0.
GlobalPort 108—White 24, Anthony 15, Pringle 14, Javelona 10, Pringle 9, Grey 9, Elorde 9, Guinto 8, Arana 7, Tautuaa 6, Gabayni 2, Flores 2, Nabong 1, Bulawan 0.
Quarters: 41-22, 70-51, 107-77, 135-108.