Hotshots rip Fuel Masters apart

MANILA, Philippines - The Star Hotshots pulled off the most devastating triumph in the PBA in a long while, sizzling all night in a 123-79 massacre of the Phoenix Fuel Masters in the Philippine Cup at the MOA Arena in Pasay City last night.

It was a virtual no-contest with the Hotshots storming to a giant 53-point lead before completing the 44-point rout in a follow-up to their 99-75 blasting of the NLEX Road Warriors the last time.

With those back-to-back demolition jobs, the Hotshots moved up to joint fourth place with the Fuel Masters, the Blackwater Elite and the TNT KaTropa Texters at 2-2.

Rain or Shine remained the frontrunner at 3-1, followed by titleholder San Miguel Beer, Globalport and Meralco at 2-1.

Meanwhile, San Miguel and GlobalPort seek to regain a piece of the lead as they tangle with Mahindra and Barangay Ginebra, respectively, today over at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The Batang Pier and the Gin Kings clash in the 6:45 p.m. mainer that will surely bring back to mind GlobalPort’s big breakthrough last year. GlobalPort stunned Ginebra, 84-83, in a quarterfinal showdown in the last all-Filipino tourney, allowing the Batang Pier to reach the Final Four for the first time.

“I’m very happy and thankful to my players. They showed great chemistry which I hope we’ll be able to sustain in our next games,” said Star coach Chito Victolero.

“After our back-to-back losses to San Miguel and GlobalPort, we stayed positive. Right now, we’re now playing well and the guys are enjoying. But the real tests will be our next games against Rain or Shine and Ginebra,” Victolero also said.

The Hotshots did show great cohesion and efficiency as they stopped the Fuel Masters’ two-game run.