Meralco averts meltdown, holds off Rain or Shine
Baser Amer against Rain or Shine defenders. PBA IMAGES
Meralco avoided a huge collapse and pulled off an 89-83 victory over Rain or Shine to maintain its pristine record Wednesday in the 2017 PBA Commissioner’s Cup at Mall of Asia Arena.
Alex Stepheson topped the Bolts with 21 points, 15 rebounds, and two blocks, while Baser Amer had 17 markers, 11 boards, and six assists.
Meralco seemed to be on its way to an easy victory after Amer gave it an 85-76 lead in the final 1:41, but the Elasto Painters waged a 7-0 fightback to get to within two, 85-83, with 40.1 seconds left.
But Amer and Stepheson would link up in the last 26.5 seconds with a pick-and-roll lay-up play to put the nail in the coffin as the Bolts came away with their fourth straight victory.
The defending champions, meanwhile, absorbed their first loss in the conference.
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