Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Tiebreaker Times

Basketball

PBA POW Jalalon a picture of efficiency for Magnolia


Behind a balanced attack, Magnolia cruised to another smooth ride opposite NLEX and Northport to maintain perfection and solidify its hold of the solo spot in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup.

The dominant Hotshots with Serbian reinforcement Nick Rakocevic at the helm, trounced their last two assignments by an average winning margin of 16.0 points for a searing 5-0 start midway through the import-flavored conference.

But while the unbeaten run could be attributed to the Hotshots’ collective effort, an unheralded sparkplug from the bench in Jio Jalalon made it easier for Magnolia as it shored up its bid for a twice-to-beat advantage in the playoffs.

The scrappy guard continued to shine in his role in leading the Hotshots’ shock troopers behind astounding averages of 14.0 points on a 63-percent shooting clip, 7.5 assists, and 3.5 rebounds versus the Road Warriors and the Batang Pier.

The two-time All-Defensive Team member stamped his biggest mark on the defensive end with 5.0 steals in two games to become the Cignal Play-PBA Press Corps Player of the Week for the period Oct. 12-16.

Jalalon beat out Converge gunner Maverick Ahanmisi and Phoenix sniper Tyler Tio for the weekly citation being handed out by the men and women regularly covering the PBA beat.

Against NLEX, the former Arellano U standout unloaded 18 points, five rebounds, eight assists and six steals in only 26 minutes of play as Magnolia ran away with an easy 111-97 win.

The Cagayan de Oro native would not be denied against the Batang Pier a few days later as he poured in 10 points, two rebounds, seven assists, and four steals including a buzzer-beating triple at the end of the third quarter to give Magnolia a 20-point lead heading home.

#ReadMore  What makes Brownlee's 6th ring more special: 'We played with all Filipinos tonight'

On top of those numbers was Jalalon’s key defensive job on counterparts Kevin Alas of NLEX and Robert Bolick of Northport to solidify his stature as one of the best defensive lynchpins in the league today.

The second game of each PBA gameday is live-streamed on SMART Sports.

Written By


You May Also Like

Basketball

Sweeping the elimination round of the PBA Philippine Cup could arguably be a mere formality for the talent-laden San Miguel Beermen. But CJ Perez,...

Basketball

Meralco put on a defensive clinic to shackle the depleted Magnolia by way of a 74-51 result and keep its quarterfinal aspirations very much...

Basketball

San Miguel inched closer to clinching a twice-to-beat quarterfinal incentive following a 98-91 victory over Magnolia to stay perfect in the PBA Season 48...

Basketball

Magnolia extinguished one of the hottest streaks in the PBA Season 48 Philippine Cup following a 108-102 win over Rain or Shine in a...

Basketball

Paul Lee inched closer to achieving another personal milestone as Magnolia got past the hungry Blackwater, 81-77, for their third straight win in the...

Basketball

Jerrick Balanza’s only concern is finding his place in Magnolia after playing his first game with the perennial contenders on Sunday. The 27-year-old winger...

Basketball

Magnolia regained its identity in the second half and turned back the upset-seeking Phoenix, 107-93, to register back-to-back wins for the first time in...

Basketball

Jerrick Balanza’s reunion with Aldin Ayo has come to an unexpected end after just 15 months. The seasoned forward has bid farewell to Converge,...

Advertisement