Pampanga remained unbeaten while San Juan flaunted newfound power in the OKBet-Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League Fifth Season late Monday at the FilOil Flying V Centre in San Juan.
Banking on the formidable duo of Justine Baltazar and Enzo Serrano, the Pampanga Giant Lanterns trounced the Pasay Voyagers, 91-76, to extend their winning run to 15 in the single round-robin elimination phase of the 29-team tournament.
The 6-foot-8 Baltazar delivered 20 points, 21 rebounds and eight assists while Serrano came through with 33 points, eight rebounds and five assists for the Giant Lanterns, the only unscathed team left.
Archie Concepcion also shone for Pampanga, which pulled down Pasay to 11-5, with 16 points four assists and three rebounds.
Not to be outdone, the San Juan Knights paraded prized recruits Adrian Nocum, Kenneth Neil Villapando and Rhimwil Yambing in a 91-76 dumping of the Batangas City Embassy Chill Athletics in the nightcap of a triple bill.
Nocum, a stalwart of the Mapua Cardinals, posted 19 points, spiked by four three-pointers, nine rebounds, two steals and two assists to earn his second straight best player honors over teammate Orlan Wamar, who tallied 13 points, eight assists, four rebounds and two steals for San Juan, which notched its fifth straight victory and climbed to 12-3, overtaking Batangas, which tumbled to 11-4 after back-to-back losses.
Villapando chalked 10 points plus seven rebounds and the high-leaping Yambing made 10 points plus four rebounds for San Juan, which surged to a 91-67 spread before allowing Batangas to lessen the gap somewhat with a nine-point closing salvo.
Batangas got 19 points, five rebounds and four steals from Levi Hernandez, 17 points from Juneric Baloria and 11 points, eight rebounds, six steals and five assists from Jeckster Apinan.
Earlier, the Manila Stars subdued Valenzuela XUR Homes Realty Inc., 93-83, behind the 23-point, 12-rebound performance of Kyle Neypes.
Allan Mangahas provided support with 16 points, six rebounds and five assists and so did his brother James, who scored 13 and snagged five rebounds, as Manila improved to 3-14.
Macky Acosta and Julius Pasculado also delivered for the Stars with 12 and 10 points, respectively.
