By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
Paul Lee extended his majestic streak of performances and broke the hearts of the San Miguel Beermen after burying the two most crucial treys during their PBA Commissioner’s Cup duel on November 16, 2022.
The superstar shooting guard sank back-to-back three-pointers in the last 1:30 of the game to steer Magnolia to an 85-80 victory held at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.
Only clinging to a one-point 77-76 lead in the 1:30 mark of the final frame, Lee knocked down two consecutive treys in a span of 30 seconds to extend Magnolia’s lead to seven points, 83-76.
Lee’s two triples proved to be the exclamation point for Magnolia which gave them enough cushion before San Miguel scored four quick points to cut their deficit to just three points, 83-80.
With 26 seconds left, the Beermen deployed a full-court pressure trap defense that seemed to work in the first four seconds but Jio Jalalon was able to locate the open Lee in the corner who was fouled with 11 seconds left in the clock.
Lee then cashed in the two insurance free throws that made it hard for San Miguel to claw their way back into the game.
It was a waxing hot first quarter for the Beermen after Marcio Lassiter scored eight points in just five minutes to give San Miguel an early 10-2 lead.
However, Magnolia’s hardworking import Nick Rakocevic started to impose his will underneath and became a pest on the offensive boards.
Rakocevic’s personal scoring run built from several offensive tip-ins put Magnolia back in the game and was responsible for their huge second-quarter performance.
The remaining quarters of the game turned into a nip-and-tuck affair but the Chicken Timplados started to pull away at the start of the final canto.
Consecutive baskets from Ian Sangalang and Rakocevic ballooned Magnolia’s lead to seven points, 69-62, but the Beermen came right back spearheaded by veteran power forward Vic Manuel.
Manuel attempted to single-handedly carry San Miguel after getting hot in the perimeter but Lee and the rest of the Chicken Timplados shot well and rebounded better in the final five minutes of the game.
Lee finished the game with 14 big points while Rakocevic contributed another double-double performance of 26 points and 28 rebounds.
Meanwhile, the Beermen had a decent performance from import Devon Scott who led the reigning Philippine Cup champions with 19 points and 17 rebounds but is still missing the presence of PBA’s only six-time Most Valuable Player (MVP) June Mar Fajardo due to his throat injury.
