MANILA, Philippines – In his first game back in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), Shabazz Muhammad wasted no time showing why Magnolia made the right choice to tap him as a replacement import in the middle of the PBA Governors’ Cup.
Muhammad sank the game-winning basket for the Hotshots as they escaped the winless Terrafirma Dyip by the skin of their teeth, 99-98, at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium on Thursday, September 12.
With Magnolia trailing, 97-98, after Terrafirma rookie Paolo Hernandez hit a cold-blooded trey, Muhammad took it upon himself and converted on a tough floater over the outstretched arms of Andreas Cahilig to put the Hotshots in the driver’s seat with 8.1 seconds left.
Terrafirma had one last crack at the victory, but Dyip star Stanley Pringle lost possession of the ball — leading to an improbable long-distance heave by Kevin Ferrer which fell short as time expired.
“We changed [imports] because of these kinds of games. We want somebody who can take charge down the stretch, like Shabazz,” said Magnolia head coach Chito Victolero.
“We want him to take over the game and make his move,” added Victolero of Muhammad, who replaced his fellow former National Basketball Association (NBA) veteran Glen Robinson III despite the latter’s solid numbers.
This is Muhammad’s second tour of duty in the PBA after suiting up for the San Miguel Beermen in the 2021-2022 Governors’ Cup, where he once erupted for 57 points.
Prior to Hernandez and Muhammad’s crucial buckets in the endgame, it was Paul Lee who delivered on a huge four-point shot to give the Hotshots a slim 97-95 edge with 21 seconds remaining after trailing since the 3:03 mark of the quarter.
Despite a slow start to the game due to his three fouls in the first period, Muhammad topscored for Magnolia with 20 points on 8-of-15 shooting.
Zavier Lucero backstopped Muhammad with 17 points, while Calvin Abueva stepped up big with 15 markers and 7 rebounds as the Hotshots improved to 4-3 in Group A.
On the other side, Terrafirma import Antonio Hester exploded for a double-double of 39 points and 16 rebounds, while Ferrer and Pringle had 18 and 17 points, respectively.
The Dyip — who fell to 0-7 — missed the services of their stars Christian Standhardinger and Juami Tiongson due to injuries.
TNT wins 4th straight at Meralco’s expense
Meanwhile, in a battle between two red-hot teams in Group A, the TNT Tropang Giga kept their winning streak going after surviving a late comeback by the Meralco Bolts, 108-99.
Calvin Oftana caught fire from beyond the arc, knocking down six of his seven three-point attempts, to finish with a team-high 25 points for TNT, which picked up its fourth straight win for a 6-1 slate.
TNT import Rondae Hollis-Jefferson also posted his usual all-around numbers of 22 points, 7 rebounds, and 9 assists as the Tropang Giga reasserted their mastery over Meralco and ended the Bolts’ own four-game winning run.
“We knew that they were going to come back. We had no pretentions, we had no illusions that it was going to be easy by any means,” said TNT tactician Chot Reyes of Meralco’s fourth-quarter rally.
“In the end, the players took it upon themselves to make the necessary stops,” he added.
After re-establishing its biggest lead of the game at 14 points, 86-72, at the 9:48 mark of the final quarter, TNT failed to take care of its sizeable advantage as Meralco rallied back and got to within just three points, 89-92, off a Chris Newsome triple with 5:44 to play.
Both teams exchanged baskets in the next three minutes and with TNT still ahead by three, 100-97, veterans Kelly Williams and Jayson Castro converted on back-to-back layups to give the Tropang Giga a much-needed two-possession separation from Meralco, 104-97, with 1:57 left.
Oftana then sealed the win with his own layup as it gave the Tropang Giga a 106-97 edge with only 50.5 seconds remaining in the contest.
Allen Durham paced Meralco with a double-double of 26 points and 11 rebounds, while Chris Newsome added 23 markers.
With the loss, the Bolts saw their record drop to 5-2.
The Scores
First Game
TNT 108 – Oftana 25, Hollis-Jefferson 22, Aurin 16, Castro 12, Erram 11, Pogoy 9. Williams 9, Nambatac 4, Heruela 0, Khobuntin 0.
Meralco 99 – Durham 26, Newsome 23, Quinto 12, Cansino 12, Bancheor 10, Caram 8, Pasoal 4, Rios 4, Bates 0, Pascual 0, Mendoza 0, Jose 0.
Quarters: 32-20, 49-44, 78-67, 108-99.
Second Game
Magnolia 99 – Muhammad 20, Lucero 17, Abueva 15, Ahanmisi 9, Lee 9, Sangalang 8, Dionisio 8, Barroca 7, Mendoza 3, Eriobu 2, Reavis 1, Laput 0, Alfaro 0, Balanza 0.
Terrafirma 98 – Hester 39, Ferrer 18, Pringle 17, Hernandez 7, Olivario 6, Ramos 5, Cahilig 3, Sangalang 3, Carino 0, Hanapi 0.
Quarters: 17-20, 48-44, 69-71, 99-98.
– Rappler.com