Four unbeaten teams fall

In two playing days this week, four previously undefeated teams suffered their first defeat in a wild tumble in the PBA Governors’ Cup, leaving only NLEX and San Miguel Beer without a stain in the standings. The Road Warriors and Beermen face off in a showdown at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Sunday to determine the last contender with an unblemished record.

First to fall was Blackwater. Coming off impressive back-to-back wins over Rain or Shine and Magnolia, the Bossing surrendered 72 points to Meralco in the second and third quarters but battled back in the payoff period only to sputter down the stretch. The Bolts were up by 17 entering the fourth but Blackwater tied it, 114-all, with 1:31 left. The Bossing missed four attempts to take the lead then Chris Banchero dished to Chris Newsome for a transition layup to make it 116-114, time down to 3.9 seconds. Blackwater advanced the inbound off a timeout and RK Ilagan got the pass only for the ball to hit his foot on a crossover, eating up the clock.

It was a tough loss for Blackwater as looking at the stat sheet, Meralco should’ve won by a mile. The Bolts had more rebounds, 50-36, assists, 32-14, free throws made, 18-11, bench points, 41-21, second chance points, 11-8 and four-pointers converted, 3-1 yet won by only two. Credit to the Bossing for hanging tough to limit Meralco to 18 points in the fourth.

Then came Phoenix’ turn. The Super LPG Fuel Masters had won three in a row before engaging winless Rain or Shine. The tables turned as Phoenix never led in the Elasto Painters’ 105-98 victory. ROS collected more assists, 29-17, rebounds, 51-45, bench points, 46-26 and second chance points, 12-5 and shot 47 percent from the field to Phoenix’ 41.5. In a mano-a-mano duel, Aaron Fuller outshone BJ Johnson to finish with 28 points and 16 rebounds despite playing five less minutes due to foul trouble.

Next was TNT, struggling without Calvin Oftana, Jayson Castro, Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser and Kelly Williams. Like ROS, Titan showed up winless and played with a desperate sense of urgency. The Ultra Giant Risers took 14 less attempts from the floor but shot at a higher clip, 53 percent to 42.5. Titan had more turnover points, 17-7, fastbreak points, 19-11, perimeter points, 50-40, four pointers made, 3-0 and free throws converted, 17-9. NBA veteran Darius Days couldn’t keep pace, played less than 30 minutes and hit a lowly 36.8 percent from the field. Titan scored a huge upset, 103-87.

Finally, Converge dropped its first game to San Miguel after winning three straight. George King presided in the high-scoring contest, firing 41 points to outshine Jalen Hudson who could cough up only 15. The Beermen had more rebounds, 51-42 and perimeter points, 59-42 in the 128-122 decision. Converge piled up 36 assists with seven players scoring in twin digits but King wouldn’t be denied his coronation.

Three teams are still winless, Macau (0-4), Ginebra (0-1) and Magnolia (0-2) in an unpredictable conference start. What’s expected to be a barnburner is the NLEX-San Miguel battle on Sunday. It’ll be a big test for coach Jimmy Alapag whose Road Warriors barely escaped Terrafirma, 101-100. The Beermen also nearly lost to the Dyip so both are vulnerable. Winner takes undisputed pole position in Group A.