Calvin Abueva put up a performance of a lifetime. Joshua Munzon sealed the deal for Titan Ultra with a dagger quad and a 127-119 victory over Phoenix. They now put Titan Ultra up there today at the Ynares Centre in Antipolo with a very good chance at making the PBA Season 50 playoffs. Abueva had an outstanding double-double, with 35 points, 17 rebounds, four assists, two steals, and one block. Munzon scored the dagger four-pointer for a total of 21 points, five assists, four rebounds, two steals, and a block.

That late separation lifted the Giant Risers to 4-6 with a critically important match against Barangay Ginebra on December 21, which could be a deciding factor for either team going into the quarterfinals.

No dearth of help from the remaining Giant Risers, with Aris Dionisio coming up great also with 21 points on a 4-of-10 clip from beyond the arc, while Jerik Balanza and Fran Yu chipped in 17 and 14 markers each. Yu also dished out 10 assists for his second straight double-double outing. 

But it was Munzon’s cold-blooded four-point shot that salvaged the game for Titan Ultra. 

In the fourth quarter, tied at 117, Balanza wanted to try for the win, but he missed the corner triple. Titan Ultra got the offensive board as Cade Flores tapped it out to Munzon. 

Hence, Munzon did not halt but extended from far again and gave his side a passage to a crucial 121-117 cushion with only about 30. 7 seconds remaining. 

As there was, Phoenix narrowed the gap to just two with Evan Nelle wrapping up the botched layup of Ricci Rivero, but Yu coolly sank two free throws again to make another four points’ margin. 

The Fuel Masters totally died out when RR Garcia missed a potential tying four-pointer because Abueva sealed it with his two freebies and a dunk at the last second. 

Leading Phoenix was Jason Perkins with 24 points, five rebounds, and seven assists, while Bryan Santos and Tyler Tio compiled 18 and 16 markers, respectively, as they took a tumble down to 3-8. 

In another PBA news, the next games would be Rain or Shine versus Magnolia as they would face one another in front of hardworking overseas Filipino workers to kickstart their respective bids for a quarterfinal bonus when the much-awaited PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup heads for Bahrain on Monday, Dec. 15. Elasto Painters (7-2) held out against the Converge FiberXers (6-3) on a sweet victory of 90-84 and now the team is eagerly waiting to know if they would get the solo lead in the late hours of competition at 11:55 p.m. (PH Time) against the Hotshots who are also keen to wrestle for quarters incentive. Rain or Shine will play at Khalifa Sports City Stadium for the first time. They will meet Barangay Ginebra on December 17, Wednesday. 

Now, the Elasto Painters have secured their playoff spot. They are now aiming for higher heights, with a No. 1 seed in front of them, enticing them to better markings. Trailing closer are San Miguel (7-2), Magnolia, Converge, TNT (6-3), and NLEX (6-4). Meralco (5-4), Ginebra (5-4), and Titan Ultra (3-6) are battling it out to snag a few more spots. Bolts and FibreXers will be locking horns in a very important face-off while chasing Giant Risers, trying to keep their hopes for playoff alive against Phoenix Fuel Masters (3-7). Both games are set for Wednesday. 

Meanwhile, the cast of Painters angling salvos for what they hope would be a third straight victory includes Leonard Santillan, Gian Mamuyac, and Andrei Caracut, bolstered by a healthy slice of Michael Malonzo, Adrian Nocum, and Caelan Tiongson. If the Elasto Paints win, they move ahead of the Beermen in the race for the top post. On the other hand, Magnolia made it easy to defeat NLEX, 98-82. The winning team is composed of Zavier Lucero, Rome dela Rosa, Mark Barroca, Chris Koon, and Ian Sangalang. Javi Gomez de Liano and James Laput were also part of the action.