Magnolia mauls NLEX to formally book a PBA quarterfinal slot

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

The Magnolia Hotshots Chicken Timplados officially clinched a playoff ticket after dominating the NLEX Road Warriors, 98-82, in the ongoing PBA Philippine Cup on Dec. 7, 2025, at the Ynares Center II in Rizal.

After a disappointing meltdown in their last game against the Converge FiberXers, Magnolia regrouped in the most crucial stretch of the conference’s last seeding phase, venting its ire on the Road Warriors, who failed to have a taste of the lead for 48 straight minutes.

The clinical rundown came early in the opening quarter, when the Chicken Timplados waxed hot with a 10-0 start, paving the way for a 16-point advantage that set the tone for the LA Tenorio-mentored squad.

After unleashing the massive rally, the Chicken Timplados never looked back and took control of the tempo of the game, protecting their comfortable lead until the final buzzer sounded.

As per Tenorio, Magnolia only followed the coaching staff’s game plan—and that was to share the ball and stick to their offensive philosophy, two things that the head coach thought went missing when they got outplayed by Converge in the fourth quarter.

The Chicken Timplados kicked off their bounce-back win with Paul Lee orchestrating the attack, diming the ball three consecutive times to the rolling James Laput, who immediately got on board with six points.

Aside from their crisp pick-and-roll action, Magnolia’s backdoor cuts also torched the Road Warriors, with the trio of Chris Koon, Rome Dela Rosa, and Javi Gomez de Liaño moving without the ball to their desired angles in the paint.

The surgical display seemed like a rolling pin gliding on a freeway.
It never ended.

Despite NLEX showing some signs of life midway through the third when their three-point shooting was able to beat Magnolia’s 1-2-2 zone defense, the Chicken Timplados smelled blood in the fourth period, banking on a collective effort from the wards to stretch their biggest lead of the ball game to 22 points, courtesy of Laput’s layup.

With time not on their side and Magnolia showing no signs of slowing down, NLEX finally pressed the surrender button and took out all of their starters with three minutes still remaining in the game.

Spearheading Magnolia’s return to the PBA winning column was two-way forward Zavier Lucero, delivering an all-around outing of 18 points, 12 rebounds, two assists, two steals, and two blocks.

Backstopping the former UP Fighting Maroons superstar were Dela Rosa, Mark Barroca, and Laput, chipping in 14, 12, and 11 markers, respectively.

Although Magnolia is already locked in a postseason slot, the squad still has two remaining games against Rain or Shine and TNT that will determine their fate in the final phase of the playoff seedings.