Hotshots dispose of Fuel Masters to seal finals duel vs Beermen

MANILA, Philippines -- The PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals cast is set.

The Magnolia Hotshots turned back massive comeback attempts by the Phoenix Fuel Masters and held on, 89-79, on Wednesday to set a finals date with the San Miguel Beermen.

Magnolia led by as much as 17 points, 45-28, in the second quarter following a layup by Tyler Bey.

They entered halftime with an 11-point advantage, 49-38.

The Fuel Masters then found their stride in the third quarter, cutting the lead to two, 53-51, with 6:53 remaining in the frame after a floater by RJ Jazul.

After a good defensive play by the Hotshots, they answered with a layup to create a four-point separation, 55-51.

This triggered a massive 17-2 run that pushed the lead to 17 once again, 70-53, going into the final canto.

The blitz carried on in the fourth quarter as the lead grew to 21, 74-53.

However, the Fuel Masters just would not quit as they cut the lead to 10, 78-68, with back-to-back treys by Sean Manganti.

A dunk by Bey and a 3-pointer by Mark Barroca created a 15-point Magnolia cushion with 3:46 remaining.

The deficit was cut to single digits anew, 83-74, with a layup by Tyler Tio.

The two teams then traded baskets as the Fuel Masters could not inch closer, leading to the loss.

Barroca led Magnolia with 21 points, five assists and four rebounds.

Bey had a monster outing of 20 points and 20 rebounds along with four assists.

Johnathan Williams III led the charge for the Fuel Masters with 17 points, 17 rebounds, five assists, three blocks and two steals. RR Garcia chipped in 15 markers off the bench in the losing effort.

With the victory, Magnolia clinched its first finals appearance since the 2021 Philippine Cup, where they lost to the TNT Tropang Giga in five games.

Game 1 of the best-of-seven finals will be on Friday, February 2, at the Mall of Asia Arena.