NorthPort's Munzon named PBA week's best

MANILA, Philippines — NorthPort has cranked up its defensive game en route to posting its best-ever start of 4-0 in the ongoing PBA Commissioner’s Cup.

And under this “let-the-defense-feed-the-offense” approach thrives Joshua Munzon, one of the league’s premier two-way players and recipient of the PBA Press Corps-Pilipinas Live Player of the Week citation for the period December 3-8.

Munzon, a member of the All-Defensive Team last season, served as a strong anchor as the Batang Pier outdueled contenders Magnolia and TNT back-to-back to keep their unbeaten run in the mid-season conference going.

The 6-foot-4 Munzon turned in 25 points, nine rebounds, three assists, and five steals in NorthPort’s 107-103 verdict over the Hotshots then followed it up with a 20-point, three-rebound, two-assist, four-steal statline in the team’s 100-95 dispatching of the Tropang Giga.

In both games, Munzon hit a clutch long-distance basket that sealed it – a cold-blooded four-pointer with 49.6 seconds left against Season 48 Commissioner’s Cup runner-up Magnolia and a dagger triple with 1:28 to go versus reigning Governors’ Cup titlist TNT.

“I'm confident in myself. Every time I shoot the ball, I think it's going in. So, you know, just taking that shot with confidence and I was happy it went in,” Munzon said of taking the big shots down the stretch.

With an average of 22.5 points spiked by a 44-percent clip from three-point territory, 6 rebounds, 4.5 steals and 2.5 assists, Munzon became the second POW awardee of the conference after Meralco’s Bong Quinto in the opening week.

NLEX’s Robert Bolick, whose 20-point fourth-quarter outburst and 39-point explosion overall propelled the Road Warriors to an epic 104-99 come-from-behind upset of defending champion San Miguel Beer, was also given strong consideration by members of the media regularly covering the PBA beat.

Bolick averaged 35.5 points highlighted by a 65-percent field goal shooting and 80-percent marksmanship from the four-point arc as the streaking Road Warriors took care of business against Terrafirma, 107-95, then the Beermen to go 3-1.

Other candidates in the shortlist for the weekly honors were NorthPort’s Arvin Tolentino, Meralco’s Chris Newsome and Rain or Shine’s Leonard Santillan.