The Magnolia Hotshots are back on the floor as they search for perfection. They should be in great shape once again when they face the lowly Terrafirma team.
Catch the game on Wednesday, July 26th, at 7:30 PM.
Magnolia Hotshots (10-0)
- Jio Alalon
- Paul Lee (day-to-day) / Jerrick Ahanmisi
- Rome Dela Rosa
- Abu Tratter
- James Laput
It’s been one dominating win after another for the Magnolia Hotshots. This time, they are coming off a 111-91 throttling of the Phoenix Fuel Masters, where they flexed on both ends, especially on defense as they forced Phoenix to commit 20 turnovers.
Weapons are everywhere in the lineup, and it was Jio Jalalon’s turn to shine big last Sunday. He came off the bench to punch in team-highs 22 points, nine assists, and four steals. He’s in rhythm for this matchup, but he can also step back and let others do their thing. The core is a headache for every opposition – alongside Jalalon is Paul Lee, Jerrick Ahanmisi, Mark Barroca, Abu Tratter, and James Laput, and that’s simply is too much firepower.
The Hotshots are far and away the best offense and defense in the tournament. After 10 games, they are averaging 106 points, while only allowing 86.1 per game.
Terrafirma Dyip (4-6)
- Juami Tiongson
- Gelo Alolino
- Ed Daquioag
- Isaac Go
- Aldrech Ramos
Terrafirma is in for a tough matchup, but they are at least working off a victory. They beat the San Miguel Beermen last July 16th, 85-72, after they held them to just 2-for-19 shooting from three and pressuring them into 19 turnovers. We’ll see how well they can build from that.
Along with that win, Dyip also has one of the top scorers and playmakers in the tournament in Juami Tiongson, who’s averaging 22.8 points per game while also dishing out 4.2 assists per game. He’s rocking a 40% clip from beyond the arc on 8.5 attempts.
Then again, Tiongson will have to showcase that and more just to be competitive vs. the juggernaut Magnolia. He better hope the other guys can show a thing or two as well, namely the other double-digit scorers: Gelo Alolino (10.7 PPG), Ed Daquioag (11.7 PPG), Eric Camson (13.2 PPG), and Javi Gomez De Liano (10.3 PPG).
PREDICTION:
Handicap: Magnolia (-13.5) doesn’t cover the spread.
Total: The total goes over 198.