Davis powers Meralco back to joint lead

Game today  (Davao City)

5 p.m. – Purefoods vs Talk n Text

Games tomorrow (Cuneta Astrodome)

3 p.m. – NLEX vs Globalport

5:15 p.m. – Rain or Shine vs Ginebra

MANILA, Philippines - Josh Davis, healed and recharged after their two-week break, pumped in 32 points and grabbed 19 rebounds in an explosive performance, powering Meralco to a 98-85 win over Barako Bull and back in the lead in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum last night.

Back on his old ways, Davis inspired his teammates as they checked a two-game skid and caught up with the Talk n Text Tropang Texters atop the leaderboard at 6-2 (win-loss).

“It’s nice to have Josh Davis back at 100 percent. He had a lot of activity. His energy and intensity did wonders for the team,” said Meralco coach Norman Black.

“As I’ve been saying, Josh is a pretty good player. He’s not a good outside shooter but he brings a lot of energy on the table. And yes, we really wanted to get to where we were before Josh got hurt,” Black also said.

With Davis back in top shape, the Bolts were also back in top form, moving back in strong contention for the Top Two and twice-to-beat incentive in the quarterfinals.

“We got a crucial win before playing two tough games versus Alaska and Purefoods next week. It’s a pretty good game going to that stretch,” said Black.

Meanwhile, Talk n Text tries to regain solo lead while Purefoods looks to muddle up the fight for the Top Two as they clash in the Petron Blaze Saturday Special at the USEP Gym in Davao City at 5 p.m. today.

Reynel Hugnatan dished out a topnotch game coming from his All-Star Game participation while Gary David again put in another solid job coming off the bench as the Bolts handed the Energy a fifth loss against four wins.

Averaging just 5.0 points before this game, Hugnatan came through with a personal conference high of 21 points versus the Energy who dropped to joint eighth with the Kia Carnival after a fifth loss in their last six outings.

Curiously, Hugnatan also had an explosive game with a career-best 28 points as the Bolts walloped the Energy, 112-108, last conference.

David was a third Meralco player who hit double-figures last night, making 14 points on 5-of-10 field shooting and 3-of-4 free throws.

Later in the night, San Miguel Beer returned from the All-Star break back in championship form, clobbering Rain or Shine, 129-114, to close in on the middle-of-the-pack teams with a 3-6 win-loss record.

Arizona Reid dealt his former team a severe beating as the two-time Best Import awardee erupted for 41 points, including six three-pointers in the second half.

He could have matched or surpassed his PBA best of 48 points if not given an early rest by coach Leo Austria after his emotional verbal tussle with the Elasto Painters leading to four technical fouls called in the last two minutes.

Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao failed to finish the game as he drew two technical infractions, the last in nudging Reid after the SMB import inbounded the ball in front of the RoS bench. 

The scores:

First Game

MERALCO 98 – Davis 32, Hugnatan 21, David 14, Hodge 8, Wilson 7, Dillinger 4, Ferriols 4, Cortez 4, Ildefonso 2, Caram 2, Reyes 0, Buenafe 0, Anthony 0, Sena 0, Macapagal 0.

BARAKO 85 – Alabi 14, Hubalde 13, Lanete 13, Intal 10, Salva 10, Lastimosa 7, Garcia 6, Pascual 6, Marcelo 2, Matias 2, Chua 0, Mercado 0, Salvador 0, Paredes 0, Sorongon 0.

Quarterscores: 24-20, 49-38, 70-61, 98-85

Second Game

SAN MIGUEL BEER 129 – Reid 41, Fajardo 30, Santos 18, Cabagnot 14, Ross 9, Lassiter 8, Kramer 4, Lutz 3, Reyes 2, Maierhofer 0, Omolon 0, Pascual 0, Semerad 0, Fortuna 0, Tubid 0.

RAIN OR SHINE 114 – Chism 50, Lee 14, Almazan 10, Ibañes 8, Chan 8, Norwood 7, Cruz 4, Belga 4, Quiñahan 4, Tiu 3, Araña 2, Uyloan 0.

Quarterscores: 32-29, 61-52, 93-79, 129-114