Takeaways from Hotshots’ Philippine Cup quarterfinals Game 1 win

A milestone was achieved and streaks had been prolonged on the primary recreation of the 2022 PBA Philippine Cup quarterfinals after Magnolia Hotshots took a 1-0 lead over NLEX Street Warriors with a 98-89 win on Sunday.

The Hotshots can wrap it up and advance to the semifinals in the event that they take Recreation 2 on Friday. Listed below are three fast ideas on Magnolia’s dominant efficiency.

Mark Barroca reaches one other milestone

Three weeks in the past, Mark Barroca performed his five hundredth straight recreation — all of them with the Magnolia/Purefoods/San Mig/B-Meg franchise — the second-longest energetic streak within the league, behind solely LA Tenorio’s 711.

On Sunday towards the Street Warriors, the 36-year-old guard turned the ninety fifth participant in PBA historical past — 89 locals and 5 imports — to attain a minimum of 5,000 factors. He achieved the milestone on the 7:34 mark of the third quarter with a basket that gave Magnolia a 68-55 lead.

Barroca, some of the soft-spoken gamers within the league, brushed apart the achievement, preferring to maintain his eyes on the massive prize.

“Because of my coach and teammates,” he stated. “With out them I would not have achieved this. In my profession, I’ve solely needed to be a champion. Awards are bonuses. Our actual objective is to win one other championship.”

Barroca had it going early on, his 18 first-half factors a career-high for him in a primary half. He ultimately completed with 24 for the sport, which was simply three off his career-high.

Magnolia carry on rolling

The Hotshots haven’t tasted a loss since June 17. They’ve now gained eight straight after a shaky 1-3 begin and are displaying no indicators of slowing down.

“We’re peaking on the proper time,” coach Chito Victolero stated. “We began (the convention) very gradual.

“We did not doubt ourselves. I do know this group. We’re veteran sufficient to beat adversity. And now, we’re all wholesome. We do not take into consideration the profitable streak. We begin the playoffs with a unique mindset.

“It is a completely different recreation, and we have erased what occurred within the eliminations. We’re centered on the playoffs. What occurred within the eliminations is simply 25% of our objective. The opposite 75% is within the playoffs.”

The win additionally stored alive one other streak, one which dates again to 2019. NLEX has not crushed Magnolia within the final 4 conferences; the Hotshots are literally the one group they have not crushed in that span.

Victolero, although, wasn’t even conscious of it, including: “We do not take into consideration that. We keep within the current. No matter’s thrown at us, that is what we work on.”

The Hotshots have not gained all of it because the 2018 Governors’ Cup. They made the finals of this convention final season however misplaced to the TNT Tropang Giga.

Protection wins video games, however offense is simply as enjoyable

By Magnolia’s excessive defensive requirements, NLEX truly had an excellent offensive outing. The Street Warriors scored 89 factors and shot 43% from the sphere, marks properly above the Hotshots’ league-best protection that holds opponents to simply 80.8 factors and 37% discipline objective capturing.

The Street Warriors had been lacking star guard Kevin Alas, who was out for a 3rd straight recreation with a hamstring damage, however it’s uncertain if his presence might have modified the end result given how properly the Hotshots executed each their offense and protection.

They had been notably spectacular within the second quarter, the place they outscored the Street Warriors 40-21 to drag away for good. Throughout that stretch, they missed simply two pictures and held NLEX to 6-of-18 capturing.

“Ball motion was good,” Victolero stated when requested about their scorching capturing within the second. “They had been sharing the ball. We simply attempt to discover a higher and possibly that is what led to the excessive capturing share.”

Whereas the Hotshots allowed the Street Warriors to surpass their defensive marks, they made up for it on offense. Except for Barroca, 5 different Magnolia gamers scored in double digits. Their 98 factors had been practically 10 factors larger than their convention common of 89.1, and their 45% discipline objective capturing was additionally higher than their .418 mark.

NLEX hung round, however every time they might make a run Magnolia had a solution.

“It was very laborious,” Victolero admitted. “It was a grinding recreation, very emotional. They seem to be a bodily group. We tried to focus for 48 minutes. Our execution on each ends was excellent. The self-discipline, the hassle, the aggressiveness, every thing.”