Batang Pier rebound from first loss with drubbing of Eastern

NorthPort’s Kadeem Jack (with ball) finds a way past the defense of Chris Mc-Laughlin for two of his 38 points. —AUGUST DELA CRUZ

NorthPort on Friday caught a big fish in weary Hong Kong Eastern that not only gave it back the solo lead in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup but also make the Batang Pier go into the Christmas break with a very merry feeling.

But once the holiday revelry subsides, the Batang Pier, now at 6-1 after their 120-113 victory at Philsports Arena, will look for bigger hauls as they face a string of massive challenges against the league’s traditional contenders.

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“If we can get the magic number [to make the playoffs] before the year ends, why not?” coach Bonnie Tan said in Filipino. “Like I told the players, it’s hard to get wins here in the PBA, and we have to continue our good run this conference because this kind of blessing rarely happens.”

NorthPort returns to action on Jan. 8 with a massive test in Barangay Ginebra, a team it has not beaten since the 2019 Governors’ Cup for a stretch of 13 consecutive games.

Also slated in January are Meralco on the 14th, Rain or Shine on the 16th and San Miguel Beer on the 21st before getting a breather of sorts when the Batang Pier face struggling Blackwater on the 25th.

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The Batang Pier not only got back on top alone but also dusted off the ugly feeling of being handed their first defeat of the eliminations by the Phoenix Fuel Masters, who before their tipoff were winless.

Import Kadeem Jack scored 38 points, while a fired-up Arvin Tolentino went off for 35 as NorthPort handed Eastern just its second loss as the league’s guest participant.

Tolentino believes the victory over Eastern can bode well in NorthPort’s quest to build on its impressive showing thus far.

“It’s always fun when you play foreign teams,” Tolentino said. “But I think if there’s a positive thing in that loss against Phoenix is that we got our hunger back, and we enjoy playing against Eastern. So I guess we’re okay.”

Travel-weary

Eastern fell to second at 5-2, two nights after producing a 61-52 win over San Miguel Beer at home in the East Asia Super League. The Hong Kong side traveled to Manila the following day ahead of this match for the elimination round lead.

Coach Mensur Bajramovic’s squad will meet the Beermen anew on Sunday at the same venue, this time under PBA rules and with each team having one import.

Import Chris McLaughlin had 26 points, 19 rebounds and five assists for Eastern, with Hayden Blankley and Kobey Lam adding 24 and 18.

Magnolia was playing NLEX at press time in a bid to snap out a four-game skid and begin the process of shaking off its ugly start in the conference.

The Hotshots were hoping to get just their second win despite missing Paul Lee, who suffered a freak injury before the game when a guardrail fell on his head while stretching. Lee seemed fine but was forced to watch the game on the bench as a precaution.