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Magnolia’s new era under rookie coach LA Tenorio began in golden fashion as the Hotshots opened their 2025 PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup campaign with an 80-73 victory over Barangay Ginebra at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, spoiling Tenorio’s reunion with his former team and long-time mentor, Tim Cone.

Tenorio, who won seven titles with Ginebra as a player and playing-assistant, credited his players for stepping up in the emotionally charged Manila Clasico opener. 

"A good start for a new journey," said Tenorio, deflecting all the credit, though, to his players.

"It was really hard. Emotionally, I had to battle, and I really had to challenge my players that it's not about me and coach Tim; it's about the players of Magnolia and the players of Ginebra," Tenorio pointed out.

“I just want to thank the players and my staff. They were really ready for this game and wanted to give me this first win.”

"And I want to thank the players and the coaching staff, they wanted to guide me, knowing mahirap in this kind of atmosphere. The players were ready going to this game. I appreciated their effort and their focus," Tenorio added.

Zav Lucero led Magnolia with 17 points, seven rebounds, four assists, four steals, and a block, while Jerom Lastimosa and Javi Gomez de Liano chipped in 14 points each. Rome dela Rosa added nine as the Hotshots unleashed a fiery 10-0 start and never looked back, maintaining control all game.

The Hotshots’ wire-to-wire win marked a promising start to Tenorio’s coaching journey—one that began by defeating the very team that helped shape his legacy.

The scores:

Magnolia 80 - Lucero 17, Lastimosa 14, Gomez de Liano 14, dela Rosa 12, Sangalang 9, Barroca 7, Laput 5, Dionisio 2, Lee 0, Verano 0, Alfaro 0, Escoto 0.

Ginebra 73 - Holt 16, Gray 13, Rosario 12, Abarrientos 11, Estil 9, J.Aguilar 5, Cu 3, Torres 2, David 2, Thompson 0.

Quarterscores: 23-14, 36-30, 61-48, 80-73

Magnolia and NLEX continued their dominance in the PBA Season 49 Philippine Cup after defeating their respective opponents on Wednesday night, May 14, at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

The Hotshots maintained their grip on the top of the standings with a spotless 6-0 record after a commanding 117-92 win over the defending champions Meralco Bolts in the main game of the Wednesday double-header.

Paul Lee led the charge for Magnolia, pouring in 27 points built on an efficient 4-of-5 shooting from the four-point territory and a perfect 6-of-6 from the free throw line.

Ian Sangalang followed with 16 markers and nine boards, while Zavier Lucero and James Laput contributed 11 points and seven rebounds each. Rome Dela Rosa also chipped in 11 markers. Mark Barroca, Jerom Lastimosa, and Peter Alfaro III added nine markers apiece.

The Bolts kept it close until Lee’s barrage of 4’s broke the game wide open in the closing minutes.

Tensions flared late in the contest when Cliff Hodge’s hard tackle on Lucero halted the game, prompting a brief commotion that required Commissioner Willie Marcial to step in and restore order.

Despite the heated moment, cooler heads prevailed. After the final buzzer, both teams shook hands, exchanged hugs, and shared smiles.

On Sunday, May 4, at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City, Rizal, the TNT Tropang 5G finally found their groove after dropping their first three outings, while the Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots continued to dominate the PBA Season 49 Philippine Cup, capturing their fifth straight victory.

TNT’s 89-84 upset over the San Miguel Beermen was less about precision and more about pride.

“We're a different team now,” admitted TNT head coach Chot Reyes, acknowledging the absence of Rondae Hollis-Jefferson—due to the All-Filipino format—and team leader Jayson Castro, who remains out with an injury. “We said, ‘Let’s write our own story.’ This win is just the first chapter.”

Calvin Oftana led the charge with 23 points and a career-high 21 rebounds, delivering both the numbers and the intangibles.

It’s only fitting that on Wednesday, April 16, two of the most storied franchises in Philippine basketball will collide in the PBA Season 49 Philippine Cup, as the league continues to celebrate its golden anniversary.

The Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots and the San Miguel Beermen will square off at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in a battle for early supremacy. Both unbeaten, both hungry, both aiming to seize their third win—and with it, the solo lead in the standings.

These two titans began their campaigns with convincing victories last April 5 at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium. San Miguel dispatched the NLEX Road Warriors, 98–89, while Magnolia cruised past the Blackwater Bossing, 106–84.

On April 9, during the league’s anniversary celebration, both squads stayed perfect. The Hotshots used their signature defense to defeat the Converge FiberXers, 83–71, while the Beermen triumphed over the Meralco Bolts in a retro-themed showdown at the historic Rizal Memorial Coliseum, 110–98.

Magnolia peaked at the right time to secure the last quarterfinals slot in the ongoing PBA Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup.

The Hotshots overpowered the NLEX Road Warriors, 112-81, behind Ricardo Ratliffe’s 32-point, 14-rebound performance, to get the No. 8 slot on Sunday night, February 2, at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.

The Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots dominated the import-less Meralco Bolts, 129-92, last night, January 31, at the Philsports Arena to force a do-or-die match on Sunday for the 8th and final spot of the PBA Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup quarterfinals.

Ricardo Ratliffe waxed hot in the opening half as he took advantage of the absence of Meralco’s reinforcement, Akil Mitchell, who sat out for the second straight game due to back spasm.

The hulking Magnolia import already produced 24 points on 10-of-11 shooting from the field going into the break. He also grabbed nine boards, two assists, and one steal before halftime.

Ratliffe finished with 31 markers, 19 boards, four assists, and two steals, against two fouls and one turnover.

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.