Hotshots bare fangs, rip Giant Risers by 37

Magnolia delivered a strong start and a stronger finish to book a 135-98 win over Titan Ultra in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Commissioner’s Cup on Wednesday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

Clint Chapman bannered the attack, dropping 31 points and eight rebounds for the Hotshots, who posted their fifth in 10 games to seize the seventh spot from San Miguel Beer while formally booting the Giant Risers out of playoff contention.

Titan Ultra became the third team to be eliminated after Blackwater and Macau.

Magnolia coach LA Tenorio was pleased with their performance but warns his wards against complacency after committing 15 turnovers against the Giant Risers.

“I don’t remember in my career playing or coaching and scoring 135, so it just shows that we are capable as a team of scoring,” Tenorio said.

“With the past games, I’m really emphasizing defense, so maybe now we have to combine our defense and offense. By doing that, we have to limit our turnovers, which is our problem.”

A layup from Ian Sangalang with 10:51 left in the second quarter sparked a 20-9 run for Magnolia for a 47-30 lead to establish solid momentum and dictate the tempo the rest of the way.

Vince John Gabriel Gomez’s triple with 44 seconds left in the fourth period gave Magnolia its biggest lead of the game at 37 points, 135-98.

The Hotshots’ bench outworked Titan Ultra with 59 points while they also scored 62 points in the paint.

Zav Lucero scored 19 points and grabbed eight rebounds while Javi Gomez de Liaño fired 18 points off the bench to underscore the Hotshots’ well-oiled offensive machine.

Michael Gilmore delivered a double-double effort of 31 points and 14 rebounds for Titan Ultra, which suffered its eighth loss in 10 games entering the final two games in the eliminations.