Magnolia is not losing hope of making it to the playoffs despite its early struggles in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Commissioner’s Cup.

Head coach Chito Victolero breathed a sigh of relief after the Hotshots checked a four-game slide albeit needing an extra five minutes to get past NLEX, 99-95, in overtime last Friday at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City.

Magnolia improved to a 2-4 win-loss record.

“We are down at this stage of the tournament but we’re not out. Our situation is still in our control,” Victolero said.

“We’ve experienced it before. I know the character of my players. Hopefully, this is the start of our (win) run.”

The Hotshots almost fell victim to the league’s first-ever five-point play after Robert Bolick nailed a four-pointer after getting fouled by rookie Jerom Lastimosa with 55.5 seconds remaining in overtime.

He sank his bonus free throw but Barroca quickly answered with a strong drive for the go-ahead layup before Lastimosa and import Ricardo Ratliffe put the finishing touches from the line.

“Thankful that this is the first time that we limited our opponent to under 100 points. This is a testament to our defense. In the last five games we allowed our opponents to score above 100 points that’s why it was hard for us to win,” Victolero said.

Magnolia’s victory somehow took the pressure off the team’s back as they head into the Christmas Day feature against Barangay Ginebra.

“Yeah. As I said during an interview before the game, there’s pressure but it’s up to us how we will handle the pressure. I mean, we’re not dominated by other teams. We’re one stop away, one shot away or a basket away or one rebound away from the W,” Victolero added.

The Hotshots head into their last game in 2024 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum and in their next assignments with sense of urgency.

“We are in a do-or-die situation, backs against the wall. Actually, we got into an early playoffs mindset. I told my players we need to have a playoffs mindset or a playoff mentality,” the mentor said.

“They understand that. One more loss will drag us near the exit. So, we need to have that sense of urgency to play better and go to the next level of the competition.”

But health concerns will surely be a big challenge for Magnolia.