Here are the live scores, updates, and results of the 2021 PBA Governors’ Cup Semi-Finals between the Meralco Bolts and the Magnolia Pambansang Manok Hotshots scheduled on April 1, 2022, at 6:00 PM.
The Magnolia Pambansang Manok Hotshots force a “do-or-die” matchup against the Meralco Bolts after winning the game in game three.
Game five will be the last contest between these two teams and the winner will advance to the finals where they will meet the awaiting Barangay Ginebra San Miguel, who has already won against NLEX in their own Semi-Finals series.
We will have an exciting “Manila Clasico” in the Finals if Magnolia will take the win against the Bolts this night or we will have another familiar best-of-seven series between the forming rivalry between Meralco and the Gin Kings.
The Bolts only scored 11 points against the Hotshots’ 22 points in the second quarter alone, leaving Magnolia with a big winning margin of 12 points. The Hotshots were able to then maintain their lead at the end of the third but then completely dominated the Bolts with a 32-point fourth quarter against Meralco’s 21 points in the same period.
The lack of scoring producers from Meralco’s end has cost them this matchup, resulting in a low-scoring game and losing the chance to advance to the finals early on.
Only two players from the Bolts managed to end the contest with a double-digit output in terms of scoring, namely, Bishop and Newsome.
Tony Bishop tallied 22 points, 16 rebounds, two steals, and a block on the defensive end while also shooting 7-17 from the floor. Despite the big performance from the import, Bishop also had six turnovers as he was not handling the ball carefully. Chris Newsome scored eleven points in the losing effort while playing for 36 minutes, only second to Bishop’s 39 minutes of action for the Bolts.
As for Magnolia, they have pulled themselves after losing two consecutive games against the Bolts in their Semi-Finals series and forced game five. Not only that, but the Hotshots now have the winning momentum.
Mike Harris, a candidate for the Best Import in the conference, keeps on chasing the stellar award with a huge double-double in their win in game 3, scoring 34 points and grabbing 18 rebounds while shooting efficiently as he converted 16 of his 22 attempts from the field. Paul Lee, who came off from the bench, has bounced back from his sluggish performance in their previous matchup where he only scored five points while shooting two of nine. “Ang Angas ng Tondo” registered in 17 points in game four.
“No more tomorrow, that’s the mentality,” Chito Victolero said. “We just tried to lead one game at a time, and we just talked about grinding it out possession by possession.”
“We kind of lost the joy of playing in the last two games, so those are the keys right now, grinding it out, and enjoying the game.”