Mixers overcome injury bug, snap Bolts' win streak

MANILA, Philippines -- San Mig Coffee overcame a flat start and injuries to Joe Devance and Alex Mallari as the Mixers stopped the raging Meralco Bolts, 76-71, and forced a tie at fourth place between the two teams in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum Friday night.

Despite their poor first-half and the ouster of Devance and Mallari, the Mixers stayed right behind the Bolts before sneaking in at the finish and thus catching up with Meralco at fourth at 4-4.

“There were many things that didn’t go our way in this game. But we kept battling and battling,” said San Mig Coffee coach Tim Cone. “The thing I like with our team is as we struggle, we do a good job on defense.”

True enough, the Mixers played tough defense, holding the Bolts down to 13 points in the payoff period and scoreless in the last 3:33 of play.

The Mixers put the shackles in particular on Meralco gunners Macmac Cardona, Sunday Salvacion and Ronjay Buenafe – the players keying the Bolts’ three-game romp versus Globalport, Air21 and Barako Bull.

Salvacion (six), Buenafe (two) and Cardona (zero) were held to just eight points together as the Bolts were denied of a new franchise record streak.

“We really had a slow start and we can’t beat Meralco with that. We turned on defense to do the job,” said James Yap.

Yap and Denzel Bowles carried the offensive load, combining for 42 points as the Mixers bounced back from their loss to the Barangay Ginebra Kings and returned to .500 mark.

“Hopefully, we can carry this win over to our next game against Air21,” said Cone.

Cone and the Mixers were also hoping that Devance and Mallari are spared of a serious injury.

Devance sustained a suspected MCL injury with 6:26 left in the third period while Mallari hobbled to their bench with a sprained right ankle a few moments later.

With the game still in progress, the team scheduled Devance for an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) test.

Before the game, the 6-foot-8 forward was No. 19 in the league’s stats race and second in the team behind Yap with averages of 9.4 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists.

He was chasing a driving Cliff Hodge when he snapped his left knee. In terrible pain, he was carried by his teammates to the dugout.

Yancy de Ocampo filled in for Devance for a few minutes and helped with nifty assists as the Mixers made a decisive charge, surging ahead at 65-62.