Magnolia blasts Blackwater

Games today:

(Ynares Center-Antipolo)

5:15 p.m. — Macau vs Terrafirma

7:30 p.m. — TNT vs San Miguel

Magnolia survived a late Blackwater rally to secure a 107-101 victory and extend its winning streak to four games in the Philippine Basketball Association Governors’ Cup at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium on Thursday.

KJ Buffen posted a double-double of 24 points and 20 rebounds, while Jerom Lastimosa scored 24 points as the Hotshots improved to 5-3 in Group B of the season-ending conference.

Head coach LA Tenorio credited his coaching staff for keeping the team sharp during the league’s lengthy break for the 20th Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan.

“First of all, I want to commend my coaching staff for taking charge of our practices. I was absent for almost a month when we started practicing, and the coaching staff really made this team ready,” Tenorio said.

“The only thing I told them before I left for the Gilas stint was that we had good momentum. It’s a shame that we were cut short. We had a three-game winning streak, then everything was put on hold for 50-something days.”

Magnolia appeared poised to cruise to victory after building a 105-97 lead with 2:10 remaining in the fourth quarter.

But free throws from Kentrell Barkley and Sedrick Barefield pulled the Bossing to within four, 101-105, with 39 seconds left, threatening to spoil the Hotshots’ bid for a fourth straight win.

Lastimosa, however, sank two free throws with 3.6 seconds remaining to seal the victory.

Magnolia controlled the shaded lane, grabbing 55 rebounds and scoring 50 points in the paint.

Zav Lucero added 17 points for the Hotshots, who leaned on Buffen and Lastimosa for the bulk of their scoring.

Barefield led Blackwater with 24 points, but his effort was not enough to prevent the Bossing from dropping to 3-4 in Group B.