Meralco is not fooling around.
The No.2-ranked Bolts unleashed all the power they have to eliminate Alaska, 94-84, and advance to the seminals of the 2019 Philippine Basketball Association Governors’ Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum Sunday night.
Allen Durham was once again a constant for Meralco, nearly having a triple-double with a game-high 28 points, 16 rebounds and eight assists but Allein Maliksi was likewise a difference maker.
Maliksi scattered 23 points, with four triples, nailing some crucial baskets down the stretch to help Meralco avoid danger in the closing minutes.
The Bolts, armed with a twice-to-beat incentive, moved forward to the best-of-five semifinals where they will face the victor between No. 3 TNT and No. 6 Magnolia, with the formner holding a twice-to-beat advantage.
Not wasting any time, Meralco flexed its muscles hard and showed why it is the No. 2 seed and considered a legit contender.
Right off the bat, the Bolts showed superiority as they swiftly took control by opening up a gigantic 17-point lead, 29-12, after a dominant opening quarter showing.
The Bolts’ largest lead of the first half stood at 22 points, 49-27, after a Durham lay-up with less than three minutes left in the second.
Alaska then showed some signs of life with a solid third quarter showing.
The Aces were able to trim their deficit to only 10 points, 63-73, heading to the fourth period, getting themselves in the game.
Alaska was actually within seven, 81-88, with under two minutes remaining but Maliksi closed the door.
Maliksi’s back-to-back baskets gave Meralco a more comfortable 92-81 lead with exactly a minute to go and basically iced the win.
Chris Newsome added 17 points and five boards for Meralco.
Alaska now heads to the exit as it looks forward to the off-season.
The Aces were led by Jvee Casio’s team-high 20 points.
Meanwhile, No. 4 seed Barangay Ginebra, with a twice-to-beat incentive of its own, is trying to advance to the semis as it is currently looking to oust No.5 San Miguel Beer as of this writing.