The hulking import feasted on his preys, dropping a conference-high 41 points as NLEX drubbed Eastern, 94-76, to assure itself at least a playoff for the No. 8 spot in the PBA Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Wednesday, Jan. 29.
Mike Watkins drops 41 as NLEX closes in on QF berth with rout of Eastern
At a glance
Mike Watkins celebrated a basket by licking each of his fingers as if he has just finished eating a delicious meal.
And true enough, the hulking import feasted on his preys, dropping a conference-high 41 points as NLEX drubbed Eastern, 94-76, to assure itself at least a playoff for the No. 8 spot in the PBA Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Wednesday, Jan. 29.
Watkins presided over a crucial third quarter assault – a run which the Road Warriors did even with star guard Robert Bolick riding the bench due to an ankle sprain.
NLEX banked on its defense and limited the Hong Kong-based crew to just 15 points while firing 22 on the offensive end to seize control of the contest until the final horn.
Watkins added 14 rebounds, two assists and two blocks while Bolick chipped in 21 points, eight assists and five rebounds as NLEX ended the eliminations with a 6-6 record built on a hot three-game winning streak.
NLEX’s victory eliminated San Miguel from playoff contention – the first time in 15 years – while boosting their chances for a quarterfinals seat as the Road Warriors can still go as high as No.7 depending on the result of the games of Rain or Shine and Magnolia.
Whether they’ll be playing for a knockout match for the No. 8 or they’ll be getting an outright playoff spot, head coach Jong Uichico was just glad that his wards gave themselves a chance to contend.
“We'll play another game. Pero yung game naman yun is either playoff or we're in the quarterfinals already. So, we'll take this basta may chance naman kami. Because earlier, two weeks ago, we were on the brink of elimination, pero ngayon may chance kami so we'll take this,” said Uichico.
A huge factor to NLEX’s resurgence in the past three games is the contributions from the other locals – and the game against Eastern was no different with Javee Mocon and Jonel Policarpio providing quality minutes off the bench with nine apiece.
Eastern import Chris McLaughlin had 18 points and 17 rebounds to pace his team while Hayden Blankley and Glen Yang added 14 and 12 respectively.
The PBA guest team ended the eliminations with 7-5 record and will be waiting for the outcome of the rest of the games to determine its final placing and opponent in the quarterfinals.