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A well-balanced offense pushed the Converge FiberXers to a 127-109 victory over Blackwater Bossing on Sunday, January 19, at the Ynares Center in Antipolo, securing sole second place in the PBA Season 49 Commissioner's Cup.

As the FiberXers edged closer to a playoff incentive with an 8-3 record, 6-foot-9 big man Justine Baltazar delivered an impressive play for the team, recording a new career-high 20 points along with 10 rebounds, two assists, three steals, and two blocks to earn him Best Player of the Game plum.

Jordan Heading provided firepower, leading the charge for Converge with 22 markers, from 3 out of 5 shooting, along with five dimes, and three boards.

The Meralco Bolts will try to strengthen their hopes of getting to the Final Four of the East Asia Super League (EASL) 2024-25 season when they meet the Ryukyu Golden Kings on Wednesday, January 22, at the Philsports Arena in Pasig.

In their first meeting on October 16, 2024, Ryukyu opened their season with a narrow win against Meralco, 77-74, at the Okinawa Arena in Japan.

Last season, the two teams split their head-to-head match-up with the Golden Kings winning the first encounter with a dominating 89-61 triumph behind Keita Imamura’s game-high 19 points, while the Bolts get their vengeance through Chris Newsome heroics in their second battle to get a 97-88 overtime victory.

This coming Wednesday, Meralco will be determined to duplicate the feat versus Ryukyu on home turf as they aim to be part of the semifinals cast for the very first time.

The Hong Kong Eastern captured their third straight victory in the East Asia Super League (EASL) 2024-25 Home-and-Away season against the San Miguel Beermen on Wednesday night, January 15, at the Philsports Arena in Pasig.

Eastern started the game with an 11-1 run and finished the opening period with a 30-11 lead, highlighted by slam dunks and three-point play opportunities.

The Beermen tried to bounce back in the second period as Jericho Cruz, June Mar Fajardo, and Don Trollano led SMB's 8-2 blast to trim down the lead, but HKE weathered the storm and still had a 16-point lead at the half.

In the third canto, SMB cut down the lead once again to 10 but the grit of the Hong Kong team was too much as they brought a 20-point advantage entering the fourth quarter of play, 50-70.

The Converge FiberXers defeated the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, 103-96, in their match-up last night, January 14, at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

Converge victory gave the squad the solo second spot with a 7-3 card in the team standings, just a half-game behind the lead-leading NorthPort Batang Pier (7-2), who just lost their game earlier against the Meralco Bolts, 94-111.

Jamie Malonzo made a triumphant return as Barangay Ginebra eked out an 86-63 win over the Blackwater Bossing in the PBA Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup on Sunday night, January 12, at the Ynares Center Antipolo.

The Gin Kings missed the services of the 6-foot-7 athletic wingman due to a calf injury that had sidelined him for nine months. 

Malonzo registered eight points on top of three rebounds and a steal that saw the return of the crowd darling back to the win column, sitting at 6-3 in the team standings, tied with Converge and guest team, Hong Kong Eastern. 

Ginebra head coach Tim Cone admitted that they are still gradually reintroducing Malonzo into their lineup, with limited to just 10 minutes of action off the bench.

The Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots survived the grit of the Terrafirma Dyip to carve out an 89-84 victory in their battle last night, January 10, at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

Magnolia improved their record to 3-5 and still held on to their chance of making it to the playoffs of the PBA Season 49 Commissioner's Cup.

The win also gave the Hotshots their 20th straight triumph against the Terrafirma, which fell down to 0-9 in the conference and officially put them out of contention in the next round.

The Hiroshima Dragonflies became the second team to qualify in the East Asia Super League's Final Four after defeating the winless San Miguel Beermen, 94-63, at the Hiroshima Sun Plaza on Wednesday night, January 8.

Hiroshima joined their B.League rivals, Ryuku Golden Kings, as the only teams assured of a playoff spot.

The win of the Dragonflies also put the Beermen out of contention in the next round.

Kerry Blackshear Jr. was instrumental to the win as he delivered 12 points, 15 boards, nine assists, and three steals to lead Hiroshima's cause.

Nick Mayo led the Japanese team in scoring with his 18 points. He also added eight rebounds and two assists to his output, while Keijiro Mitani also put up 18 markers with three steals.

On the other hand, SMB import Torren Jones led the team with 24 points and 13 rebounds, while June Mar Fajardo added 12 markers and nine boards.

The Northport Batang Pier exhibited steady resolve as they nailed their first win against Ginebra in five years following a thrilling 119-116 victory on Wednesday, January 8, in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup at Philsports Arena in Pasig City.

The Batang Pier maintained their lead in the rankings, hiking a 7-1 win-loss record, demonstrating the kind of resolute effort typically seen by traditional contenders.

Kai Sotto has suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) following an awkward landing during the Koshigaya Alphas’ game against Seahorses Mikawa on Sunday, January 5.

Sotto has been relegated to the B.League Injury List, confirming that he will miss the B.League Asia Rising Star Game on January 18.

On a social media post, the 7-foot-3 center shared that he considers it the most trying time in his career, but he remains steadfast in his resolve and faith despite the setback.

The Phoenix Fuel Masters crashed Terrafirma Dyip in their matchup last night, January 7, 2025, at the Philsports Arena in the continuation of the PBA Season Commissioner's Cup, 122-108.

Donovan Smith led the team where he recorded 37 points, seven rebounds, three assists and five blocks.

Smith says that they come into work every day with the same attitude regardless of whether they have won five straight or lost. What matters is that they just keep that positive mindset within the guys to make sure that they have the same goal, and they all worked together to win this game.

The TNT Tropang Giga escaped the fiery Meralco Bolts for a third win in a nail-biting 101-99 victory in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the Philsports Arena on Tuesday, January 7.

Despite their valiant attempt to rally from a deficit of up to 23 points, the Bolts were unable to answer on the final possession, and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson made the game-winning free throws with 10 seconds remaining on the clock.

RHJ’s timely heroics allowed TNT to maintain its third consecutive victory. He finished with an all-around performance of 24 points, 13 rebounds, five assists, two steals, and two blocks, while Calvin Oftana spearheaded the locals with 24 markers, as well as four boards.

Gilas Pilipinas is keenly monitoring Kai Sotto’s situation as they are facing the possibility of missing his services following an apparent left knee injury he sustained during Koshigaya Alphas’ loss to Mikawa Seahorses, 77-79, in the 2025 season of Japan B.League at Kariyashi Taiikukan Arena over the weekend.

Sotto appeared to have suffered the injury after his left knee buckled awkwardly in the first quarter of the game while aiming a post-up move against Seahorses’ Zach Auguste. 

The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) is hoping there is no major damage to the knee of the 7-foot-3 Gilas center. SBP executive director Erika Dy stated that they cannot make any conclusions about his status as they are awaiting the result of the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) on Sotto.

In response to questions about the potential effect on the squad, Gilas head coach Tim Cone confirmed that Japeth Aguilar would be prepared to take Sotto's place if he couldn't play.

“Well, that’s why we have Japeth. Japeth is there to replace any of the bigs that we have. And if you can tell me there’s another big (one) out there that matches Japeth’s size and ability, then I’ll be happy to look at him,” Cone said.

The Rain or Shine Elasto Painters banked on their energy and aggressiveness to defeat the San Miguel Beermen, 107-93, in their PBA Season 49 Commissioner's Cup match-up on Tuesday night, December 10, at the Filoil EcoOil Arena in San Juan City.

RoS import Deon Thompson led the charge with 18 points, four rebounds, three assists, three blocks, and two steals but was only limited to 31 minutes of playing time because of foul trouble.

As Thompson was handcuffed, young guns Adrian Nocum, Felix Lemetti, Caelan Tiongson and Jhonard Clarito took charge, especially in the final canto where Rain or Shine posted a 37-21 quarter.

Nocum scored 15 markers to go along with four boards, five dimes and four deflections, while Tiongson added 14 points, three rebounds and two assists.

Lemetti had 12 points, three rebounds, five assists and one steal, while Clarito put up a double-double of 10 markers and 12 boards.

Another E-Painter's youngster, Keith Datu provided solid numbers of 12 points, two boards and a block.

The Hong Kong Eastern relied on their new import Chris McLaughlin who delivered a monster 32 points and 23 rebounds in his PBA Season 49 Commissioners' Cup debut to defeat the Blackwater Bossing, 84-75, on Tuesday night, December 10, at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.

It was the fourth win for the Hong Kong-based squad in their first five games in the league.

The 6-foot-10 McLaughlin took over the reinforcement chores from Cameron Clark, who was sidelined by a hip flexor muscle injury.

Clark led the Eastern squad in their three wins of the conference, including the 105-84 domination against TNT Tropang Giga last Friday.

Eastern seemed like missing Clark in the first half of play as Blackwater erected a 10-point lead at the break.

But the Hong Kong squad posted a 27-9 third quarter surge to grab the lead and maintained it until the final buzzer.

McLaughlin, who averaged 22 markers and 13 boards in Eastern's two assignments in the East Asia Super League, continued what Clark started in the PBA's mid-season tournament.

TNT Tropang Giga was unable to hold on to the tight defense of Northport Batang Pier, which won its fourth straight game, 100-95, on Sunday night at the Ynares Center, Antipolo City.

However, TNT managed to cut the lead to 97-95 with 1:43 left on the game clock when Rondae Hollis-Jefferson made a free throw, but Joshua Munzon successfully converted his three-point shot to keep the Batang Pier from losing the lead.

“I just take that shcot with confidence. The play wasn't even for me but [my teammates] found me. I was open and I was happy that I made that shot. I was confident in myself. Every time I shoot the ball, I think it's going in," said Munzon.

Northport Batang Pier assistant coach Renzy Bajar said the key to their win was their strong defense against TNT.

The Batang Pier also took advantage of the suspension of big man Poy Erram, who was penalized for hitting Glenn Yang in TNT’s conference-opening loss to Hong Kong Eastern this weekend. 

The San Miguel Beermen couldn't stop the fiery Robert Bolick before the end of the final period as NLEX defeated SMB, 104-99, in the PBA Season 49 Commissioner's Cup on Sunday night at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.

The NLEX shooting guard was unstoppable and scored 20 of his game-high 39 points in the final quarter and added nine assists, helping the Road Warriors erase a 19-point deficit and secure their third straight win. 

They improved to 3-1 in the conference, while dropping San Miguel to 1-1 as the Beermen failed to build on a slim win against Phoenix in their first assignment.

The Road Warriors trailed by 19, 46-65, in the third quarter after an and-one play by Quincy Miller.

However, NLEX dropped a 23-8 bomb to put themselves back into the game, 69-73, after a layup by Bolick, with less than two minutes to go in the third.

The former point guard of San Beda Red Lion's performance left NLEX head coach Jong Uichico impressed with the skill and dedication he displayed in the game.

Mapua swept College of St. Benilde in their best-of-three Finals series of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) 100th Season.

The Cardinals ended their 33-year title drought on Saturday, December 7, with a convincing 94-82 victory over the Benilde Blazers.

It will also be a fitting gift for the university, which will mark its 100th year anniversary in January 2025.

Mapua did not only sweep the Finals to establish their dominance of the collegiate league, they also went on a 12-0 blast, including a nine-game sweep in the second round of the eliminations.

Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) named Justine Baltazar as the 2024 Most Valuable Player, making him the first-ever back-to-back MVP of the league.

Baltazar averaged 15.56 points, 16.0 rebounds, 5.91 assists, and 1.19 steals while playing for 30.44 minutes each game this season. 

The mobile big man also led the Mythical Five selection, together with San Juan Knights' Orlan Wamar, Zamboanga Master Sardines' Jaycee Marcelino, Nueva Ecija Rice Vanguards' Will McAloney, and Batangas City Tanduay Rhum Masters' Cedric Abalaza.

The Pampanga Giant Lanterns made history by being the first-ever back-to-back champions of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League or MPBL after sweeping the Quezon Huskers, 65-61, on Saturday, December 7, at the Bren Z. Guiao Sports Center in San Fernando, Pampanga.

Justine Baltazar, who also made history by becoming the league’s first back-to-back MVP, led the charge with his monster double-double performance of 19 points and 19 rebounds, to go along with two assists and a block.

Archie Concepcion also scored 19 points and grabbed five boards to support Baltazar, while Encho Serrano who’s back from a one-game suspension, supplemented 15 markers, six boards, three assists and one steal to complete sweep of the best-of-five series.

Jansen Rios buried a crucial three-pointer in the dying seconds of the game to give Meralco the win against Terrafirma, 96-91, on Friday night, December 6, at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

The win also lifted the Bolts the share of the lead in the PBA Season 49 Commissioner's Cup team standings with NorthPort Batang Pier at 3-0.

It was a grind-out battle in the crucial stage of the game until Rios hit an unmolested triple at the right corner to give the Meralco a 94-91 lead and Chris Newsome sank two free throws after Dyip's erratic plays in the final 9.4 seconds of the game.

The game seemed like it would be a blowout game when the Bolts erected a 67-51 lead in the third quarter but Terrafirma showed resiliency and even tied the game at 91-all with 1:05 left in the fourth and final period.

Meralco coach Luigi Trillo was just glad his team hung on despite blowing a big lead.