SUPER BOWLES
Denzel Bowles as monster import came back, helping San Mig Coffee finally break from a slumber.
Bowles collected 29 points and 23 rebounds after a poor 12-point PBA comeback Friday, electrifying the Mixers as they outlasted the Talk n Text Tropang Texters, 90-82, in a battle Sunday night in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
“He had three practices before his first game. But he’s not played since October. He’s in gym shape but not in game shape. But he’s too skilled not to be a great player. He’s gonna show up. Luckily, he showed up tonight,” said coach Tim Cone on Bowles’ monster game against the same team they beat for the crown in this tourney last year.
Bowles struck hardest in the crunch, personally dealing the Tropang Texters their first loss in their last three games.
Talk n Text slid to fifth place at 2-2 overall, two full games behind pacesetting Alaska Milk (4-0).
“It wasn’t just Denzel. I’m proud of the guys coming back from a blowout, battling a quality team in Talk n Text,” said Cone.
“Actually, it was tambakan two in a row. But we have to realize that games are hard. We’re gonna come through tough times. If we fall down, it’s how you get up. It’s so very true in life, so true in basketball,” Cone added.
Bowles gave the Mixers the needed lift especially with James Yap getting into foul-trouble situation early and thus limited to playing 17 minutes.
Yap, a league two-time MVP winner, picked up his fifth foul with 8:03 left and sat out the rest of the game.
Bowles, however, went on a roll, dominating in the crunch pretty much the same way he did in endgame of the deciding Game Seven of the last Commissioner’s Cup finale.
The 6-foot-11 behemoth canned in four charities and a short twinner in a decisive 9-4 run giving San Mig Coffee an 88-82 lead with 36.9 seconds to go.
Keith Benson went silent in the payoff period and finished with only 16 markers and 17 boards.
PJ Simon, Marc Pingris and Joe Devance contributed double-digit outputs while Yap was held to six points.
For the Texters, Jayson Castro topscored with 18 with Ryan Reyes adding 14 in the game marked by 10 deadlocks and seven lead changes. (SB)
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