Allein Maliksi shot 18 points, including 10 in the fourth period as he led the Meralco Bolts to an 89-86 triumph over the San Miguel Beermen and to a quarterfinal seat on Sunday night in the Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup at the Araneta Coliseum.
The 34-year-old Maliksi forced an 82-all tie and moved the Bolts out of trouble with the last of the four triples he scored to hand Meralco the upperhand in the final 1:21.
With the Bolts holding onto an 85-83 edge, they got a chance to move comfortably ahead following a bungled layup by Vic Manuel in the 1:12 mark.
Aaron Black then shot the game’s final trey for the Bolts in the last 50 seconds, allowing them to enjoy a five-point edge, 88-83.
Black’s triple came following Maliksi’s rebound off Manuel’s missed attempt.
Assistant coach Luigi Trillo praised Maliksi for his all-around game.
“He played both ends of the court. He had 44 minutes in the last game. This guy leads by example, and not only in offense. In defense, he brought it down,” said Trillo.
Now in fourth place with their 6-4 win-loss record, the Bolts have bounced back from an 88-97 overtime loss to Magnolia last Friday.
The Bolts, with Chris Newsome and Black making 15 points, are looking to win their last elimination game against Terrafirma Dyip on Thursday.
This will give the Bolts their best place at the end of the elims and put them in a better quarterfinal spot.
The loss, however, had no effect on SMB, which already clinched a twice-to-beat advantage over the no. 8 team in the quarterfinals with its last victory against Terrafirma Dyip on Thursday. The Beermen, whose six-game winning run was snapped, now tote a 9-2 card.
SMB was led by JuneMar Fajardo with 21 points and Marcio Lassiter, who had 12 points.
