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Allein Maliksi from Meralco. PBA PICTURES
MANILA, Philippines – Meralco redeemed himself with a masterful 93-81 victory over Alaska for his maiden PBA Philippine Cup victory at AUF Sports Arena & Cultural Center in Pampanga.
After an atrocious debut in the bubble last Monday, the Bolts rallied with a solid effort on both ends of the floor led by Allein Maliksi and Baser Amer.
Maliksi scored a team-high 17 points on an efficient 6-of-9 shooting from the field, while Amer delivered timely baskets in the fourth quarter to finish with 15 points while the Bolts never lost.
Amer ran an 8-0 career run to keep Alaska at bay after the Aces moved to nine with 6:52 left.
The 28-year-old point guard, who struggled in the Bolts’ 116-98 loss to Phoenix, hit his final 3 of the night to extend the lead to 17, 85-68, with 5:18 to play.
With center Raymond Almazan still looking for form, Meralco drew big plays from veteran big man Reynel Hugnatan, who nearly had a double-double with 13 points and eight rebounds.
Almazan, who suffered a lateral meniscus tear in his left knee during the Governor’s Cup final last January, returned for the Bolts but played less than 10 minutes and had five points and five rebounds.
Jeron Teng set the pace for Alaska, which fell to 0-2, with 25 points on 9 of 11 shooting from the field.
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