Despite the lack of rookies, Magnolia is on a roll in the early stretch of the Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup.
Veteran guard Jio Jalalon said they may not have young stars, but the chemistry they built over the years is enough to lift them to a red-hot start in the season-opening conference.
“The good part about the team is that we have chemistry. We just have to take it one game at a time since there are still a lot of games left in the league,” Jalalon said, who scored 20 points for Magnolia during their 107-92 win over Phoenix late Sunday at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City.
“We all agreed to keep on grinding until the final buzzer.”
With their sizzling star, the Hotshots are currently sitting on top with NorthPort and Meralco with back-to-back victories.
They had a good pre-season in which they went 11-0 in the PBA On Tour before tapping Warren Bonifacio and Christian Buñag with the 55th and 66th picks in the Annual Rookie Draft.
Bonifacio has yet to report for duty as he is still committed with Mapua University in the ongoing National Collegiate Athletic Association while Buñag is still getting a feel of the pro game after last playing for the Purefoods TJ Titans in the 3×3 wars.
Still, the Hotshots remain calm and collected as Mark Barroca and Paul Lee are doing damage with import Tyler Bey providing the energy while carrying the bulk of the offensive load.
Against the Fuel Masters, Barroca and Lee delivered 15 and 13 points, respectively, while Bey dropped 32 to complete their claim for a share of the top spot.
But Magnolia coach Chito Victolero is not taking their next games lightly, especially against unbeaten Batang Pier and powerhouse Barangay Ginebra San Miguel, which they will face on Friday and Sunday, respectively, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
“There’s nothing different. We’ll prepare for every team like we should,” Victolero said.
“We’ll prepare for NorthPort first then we’ll focus on Ginebra. We want to focus on NorthPort first because the team plays well, they have a good import and they’re very inspired.”
