Up next for the unbeaten, 9-0 Magnolia Hotshots are the Phoenix Fuel Masters, who just gave TNT Tropag Giga its first win of the tournament. This should be a cakewalk for Magnolia.

Catch the game on Sunday, July 23rd, at 7:30 PM.

Magnolia Hotshots (9-0)

  • Jio Alalon
  • Paul Lee (day-to-day) / Jerrick Ahanmisi
  • Rome Dela Rosa
  • Abu Tratter
  • James Laput

Magnolia extended its streak to 9-0 following yet another convincing victory. They beat the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters last July 15, 103-88. Their masterclass on defense continued as well as they held ROS to just 32% shooting. Magnolia is scoring 105.4 points per game in the tournament and boasts an average winning margin of 20 points.

All of the domination is also despite Calvin Abueva missing seven games and Paul Lee (12.4 PPG, 3.8 APG) missing two, including the last one – the latter’s status for Sunday is unclear. Regardless, though, the team should be fine with the rest of the crew. Jerrick Ahanmisi (14.8 PPG) and James Laput (12.7 PPG, 10.5 PPG) can hold it down, together with feisty and speedy point guard Jio Jalalon, who had a team-highs 24 points, seven assists, and five steals vs. ROS.

Veteran point guard Mark Barroca is there too. He’s still providing damage with 10.5 points and 5.6 dimes per contest.

Phoenix Fuel Masters (3-7)

  • Javee Mocon
  • Tyler Tio
  • RJ Jazul
  • Simon Camacho
  • Raul Soyud

The Fuel Masters hit rock bottom in the tournament during their recent outing as they lost to the previously winless TNT Tropang Giga, 96-88, for their fourth-straight defeat. They allowed 18 threes and went a dreadful 4-for-22 from downtown in comparison.

Leading scorer Raul Soyud (16.0 PPG, 9.8 RPG, 1.1 BPG) sat out vs. TNT and will be considered day-to-day for Sunday’s game. He’s doing a lot for the group, so his presence, as always, is valuable. He and Luke Muyang (12.8 PPG, 9.6 RPG) can cause havoc when they are both on their game.

Sean Manganti (18 pts) and Chris Lalata (13 pts, 13 rebs) were the two bright spots in the ugly defeat; we’ll see if he can keep it up against a formidable foe. Javee Mocon, meanwhile, struggled again, going just 2-for-8 for 10 points – rough for his standards.

PREDICTION:

Handicap: Magnolia (-18) fails to cover

Total: The total goes over 191.