Magnolia Rolls to 6-0, NLEX Finds Its Groove in PBA Philippine Cup

Two teams are making serious noise in the PBA right now, Magnolia and NLEX, and they’re showing no signs of slowing down.

Magnolia looked sharp and focused as they steamrolled Meralco with a 117-92 win on Wednesday night in Manila. From the opening quarter, it was clear that the Hotshots were on a mission, outplaying the Bolts in nearly every area of the game. With this win, they’ve now racked up six straight victories and remain undefeated in the Philippine Cup.

Paul Lee led the charge with 27 points, draining four long bombs from the 4-point zone, while Ian Sangalang added 16 to keep Magnolia in full control. The team’s energy and ball movement were simply too much for Meralco to handle.

On the other side, Meralco couldn’t catch a break. Even though they had six players in double digits, including Chris Banchero (20 points) and Chris Newsome (14), they struggled to keep pace. The loss drops the Bolts to 3-5, now dealing with two straight defeats.

Earlier that night, NLEX also made headlines with a huge 117-87 win over Terrafirma. They came out firing in the first quarter and never looked back, securing their fifth straight victory and improving to 5-1. It’s their best run in years, tying a winning streak they last achieved in the 2019 Governors’ Cup.

Brandon Ramirez was the standout for NLEX, finishing with 21 points along with help from Bryle Bahio, Robert Herndon, and Javee Mocon, who all added double-digit scoring. The Road Warriors are quickly becoming a team to watch.

Meanwhile, Terrafirma continues to sink in the standings with a 1-6 record. Kevin Ferrer did what he could with 23 points, but it wasn’t enough to prevent their sixth straight loss.

As the Philippine Cup moves deeper into the season, Magnolia is proving why they’re the team to beat. But with NLEX on a hot streak, the battle for the top spot is far from over.