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2024 NBA Draft: Baylor Scheierman is one of the oldest players in the draft, but he can really play nba,draft,baylor,scheierman,is,one,of,the,oldest,players,in,the,draft,but,he,can,really,play,liberty,ballers,front-page,nba-draft,76ers-draft-rumors-news

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Before the 2024 NBA Draft, we’ll take an in-depth look at different prospects here at Liberty Ballers and try to figure out which players would be the best fit for the Sixers at Nos. 16 and 41. Next up in this series is Creighton’s Baylor Scheierman.

Baylor Scheierman destroyed the Summit League during his time at South Dakota State, becoming the conference’s Player of the Year for the 2021-22 season. That led to a transfer to Creighton, where he changed from being a jumbo-sized point guard to more of a playmaking — and high-volume shooting — wing.

Profile

2023-24 Stats: 35 games, 36.8 minutes, 18.5 points, 9.0 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 0.9 steals, 0.1 blocks, 44.8% FG, 38.1% 3P, 87.6% FT

Team: Creighton

Year: Fifth-year senior

Position: Wing

Height (without shoes) & Weight: 6’6.25” | 201.6 lbs

Born: September 26, 2000 (23 years old)

Hometown: Hastings, Nebraska

High School: Aurora

Strengths

Scheierman fit right into Creighton’s offense as a high-volume three-point shooter. He hit a preposterous 45.6% from deep in his sophomore and junior seasons at South Dakota State. His efficiency went down in a tougher league on a higher volume, but he still hit 38.1% on over eight attempts per game last season. He’s not just a shooter though. His experience as a point guard showed as a secondary playmaker for the Bluejays. He has a methodical style with the ball in his hands, but he often makes good decisions and delivers crisp passes.

He’s not the greatest athlete, but he fights on defense. He often took on difficult defensive assignments for Creighton and acquitted himself well against stiff competition in the NCAA Tournament. He’s also an excellent rebounder, pulling down over nine a game last season.

Weaknesses

Scheierman is one of the oldest players in this draft. He’ll turn 24 before the 2024-25 season begins. He was excellent for the Bluejays, but was also playing at 23 years old. The other concern is going to be a lack of elite athleticism. He actually tested decently at the combine, but there could be concerns when it’s time to go against NBA athletes.

Positional Fit

Scheierman’s experience as a point guard at 6-foot-6 makes him intriguing. The player I see the most is Joe Ingles — a big lefty that can handle, pass and shoot the hell out of the ball. Ingles has never been an explosive athlete, but he fights on defense and uses his savvy to make up for those limitations. It’s easy to see a similar NBA path for Scheierman.

Draft Projection

Late first, early second round

Bottom line, Scheierman can really play. He can shoot, has high-level feel and plays his butt off on defense. He doesn’t have any type of star ceiling, but he projects as a really intriguing role player. If he’s still there at pick 41, he should absolutely be in play for the Sixers.

Report: Sixers’ interest in signing Clippers’ Paul George ‘has significantly waned’ report,sixers,interest,in,signing,clippers,paul,george,has,significantly,waned,liberty,ballers,front-page,76ers-free-agency-rumors-news

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Well, the smoke that was surrounding Paul George and him possibly signing with the Sixers might not produce a flame.

Shams Charania of The Athletic is reporting that the Sixers’ interest in pursuing the nine-time All-Star “has significantly waned in recent days.”

Numerous reports have surfaced this week that appear to be pointing towards a divorce between George and the Los Angeles Clippers, making this latest news fairly surprising. It appeared as if the Sixers had a legitimate shot at landing the veteran wing that Joel Embiid seemed to covet.

That leads us to one obvious question: What does Daryl Morey have up his sleeve?

Almost immediately after the Sixers were eliminated by the Knicks, ESPN Insider Brian Windhorst named three star-level players the team would pursue: George, Jimmy Butler and Brandon Ingram. With George seemingly crossed off the list, are we looking at a pivot to these trade options? While there hasn’t been much noise surrounding the Heat and a trade of Butler, a report from The Athletic’s Kelly Iko said that the Pelicans shopped Ingram to both the Rockets and Sixers.

If you’re looking at other free agents, the Sixers have also recently been linked to the Knicks’ OG Anunoby and Nuggets’ Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. Anunoby is seemingly destined to re-sign with New York considering the president of basketball operations is the father of Anunoby’s agent, but perhaps the Sixers see a path to reuniting the veteran wing with his former coach, Nick Nurse. Caldwell-Pope has proven to be one of the better perimeter defenders in the NBA and has two championship rings on his resume. With Denver approaching the vaunted second apron in a hurry, KCP could hit the open market.

Perhaps the Alex Caruso-Josh Giddey trade will open the floodgates on trade season or maybe we’ll have to wait until next week’s draft to get a clearer picture of the Sixers’ plan.

Dare we ask: Should the Sixers take USC’s Bronny James? dare,we,ask,should,the,sixers,take,usc,s,bronny,james,liberty,ballers,front-page,nba-draft,76ers-draft-rumors-news

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Before the 2024 NBA Draft, we’ll take an in-depth look at different prospects here at Liberty Ballers and try to figure out which players would be the best fit for the Sixers at Nos. 16 and 41. Next up in this series is USC’s Bronny James.

Most of the talk surrounding Bronny James involves his dad LeBron (who you might have heard of). But let’s address the question at hand: Should the Sixers draft Bronny James with likely no commitment from his dad to join him?

Profile

2023-24 Stats: 25 games, 19.4 minutes, 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 0.8 steals, 0.2 blocks, 36.6% FG, 26.7% 3P, 67.6% FT

Team: USC

Year: Freshman

Position: PG/SG

Height (without shoes) & Weight: 6’1.5” | 210 lbs

Born: November 27, 2002 (21 years old)

Hometown: Akron, Ohio

High School: Sierra Canyon

Strengths

Bronny James checks a lot of boxes in the intangibles department: he has NBA-level athleticism, a selfless passing ability, and defensive tenacity at his size. James’ time at USC was limited due to health concerns and playing time, but he did show potential on several fronts. He made 43.8 percent of his pull-up jumpers at USC, albeit only on 32 attempts. Defensively, he has a wide, chiseled frame that he uses well. If he’s able to get playing time early, it’ll likely be for his defensive ability. He has quick hands and good reaction time that allows him to rack up deflections. Bronny’s young age and lack of experience could suggest that there’s plenty of room for him to grow.

Weaknesses

Above all basketball skills, Bronny James’ health is a serious question mark — he missed time earlier in the year, going into a sudden cardiac arrest as a result of a congenital heart defect. He’s been healthy since said incident, but heart issues are nothing to joke about. Switching back to on-court ability, and Bronny’s shooting and efficiency leave a lot to be desired. He struggled shooting the ball and shot a measly 19.6 percent on catch-and-shoot threes at USC, per Synergy. Bronny’s shooting woes date back to his high school days, where he only made 33.8 percent of his catch-and-shoot threes. While he is a willing passer, he doesn’t have the skills to be a primary playmaker at the next level.

Positional Fit

Bronny’s age and genetics suggest he could grow in size, but as is he’s almost certainly locked into being a point guard at the next level. USC listed him at 6-foot-4, but his recent draft combine measurements say he’s under 6-foot-2 without basketball shoes. His defensive ability is his best shot at getting quick playing time, with guys such as Davion Mitchell or Norris Cole being the best-case scenario comparisons.

Draft Projection

Second round

Most people across the NBA would agree that Bronny James is far from being NBA ready and that spending a year or two in the G League or at USC would do him some good. He’ll likely be a project player for whichever team drafts him.

Report: New Orleans Pelicans contacted Sixers to discuss a Brandon Ingram trade report,new,orleans,pelicans,contacted,sixers,to,discuss,a,brandon,ingram,trade,liberty,ballers,front-page,76ers-news,76ers-trade-rumors,nba-rumors-news

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The Sixers’ offseason flexibility has had them tied to numerous big names — Paul George, LeBron James and Jimmy Butler. Along with these stars, Brandon Ingram was linked as a potential trade option if they were to strike out in free agency. We now have news that the New Orleans Pelicans have reached out to the Sixers regarding Ingram.

The Athletic’s Kelly Iko had the latest scoop on Ingram, along with other Houston-centric storylines in his latest draft notebook:

“…New Orleans’ Brandon Ingram was mentioned as a player seen in a lower tier than Mitchell and in recent days, rumors have swirled about the Pelicans dangling Ingram in trade talks and in one iteration, a hypothetical Ingram-for-Alperen Şengün swap was mentioned, but the Rockets have no interest, team sources said. League sources said New Orleans also contacted the Philadelphia 76ers concerning a possible Ingram trade.”

Recent rumors and reports out of NOLA have suggested that extension talks with Ingram are at a complete standstill, so it makes sense that they’re making calls ahead of next week’s draft. We can get a feel for what the current ask might be if they suggested a straight up swap for Houston’s Alperen Sengun, a rising star who was in the conversation for Most Improved Player this season.

While NOLA’s preference might be getting back a contributor, it’s unlikely that’ll be the case if the Sixers agree to an Ingram deal. An Ingram-Philly trade framework would likely revolve around draft capital, as the Sixers can offer up to five first-round draft picks on draft night.

The current ask isn’t monstrous for a former All-Star such as Ingram, and it’s likely to drop until an actual deal takes place. Around the NBA, teams are looking to shed salary, not add it. Not only is Ingram’s salary large now, but his future team will also need to work out an extension, as he’ll be an unrestricted free agent after next season — another factor that could cause the ask to drop even further. Whether you’re an Ingram fan or not, the appeal of adding him becomes even more intriguing if you’re able to do it for a low price.

It seems like the Paul George smoke has intensified over the past few days, and this Ingram news will only add speculation to what should be a busy offseason for the Sixers.

How the Sixers could get creative with Paul Reed’s contract this offseason how,the,sixers,could,get,creative,with,paul,reed,s,contract,this,offseason,liberty,ballers,front-page,76ers-analysis

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Because the Sixers didn’t win a playoff series this year, Paul Reed’s future is now up in the air.

The offer sheet that Reed signed with the Utah Jazz last offseason stipulated that his $7.7 million salary for the 2024-25 season would only become guaranteed if his team advanced to the second round of the playoffs. Instead, the New York Knicks and Joel Embiid’s case of Bell’s palsy helped ensure Reed’s contract would remain non-guaranteed through Jan. 10.

The Sixers could waive Reed this offseason and be left without a dead cap hit, which they’d likely consider if they land a third max-contract player. Cutting him would be their path to still having meaningful cap space, along with the $8.0 million room mid-level exception once they were capped out. But they don’t have a nearby deadline by which they have to make a decision. They can see how the offseason plays out and proceed accordingly.

Since Reed’s full contract is non-guaranteed, he’d count as $0 in outgoing salary in trades unless the Sixers guaranteed some or all of his deal. But as long as they stay under the salary cap after a trade, they don’t need to worry about salary-matching rules. If anything, they could leave him non-guaranteed to sweeten a trade offer, allowing his next team to decide whether to keep him as depth, re-route him or waive him for cap relief.

The Sixers could also manipulate their offseason order of operations to take advantage of Reed’s contract in a creative way. If they keep him on their books and guarantee his full salary, they could flip him to acquire a much higher-paid player even if they’re over the cap at the time.

Under the NBA’s new collective bargaining agreement, trades involving two teams below either apron have looser salary-matching rules than they once did. Teams that send between $7.25 million and $29 million in salary can take that amount of salary back plus $7.5 million. In other words, a team could trade a $7.5 million contract for a $15 million contract, or a $29 million contract for a $36.5 million contract.

With Reed set to earn $7.7 million next season, the Sixers could flip him for a player earning as much as $15.2 million as long as they stay below the first apron after the trade. They would then be hard-capped at the first apron for the remainder of the league year. Depending on how the rest of their offseason shakes out, that could be their best chance to round out their roster and add more depth.

For instance, let’s say they sign Paul George for his full max salary of $49.4 million. They could have as much as $16.7 million in cap space if they waive Reed and Ricky Council IV, trade the No. 16 overall pick, turn down their team option on Jeff Dowtin Jr. and renounce the rights to all of their free agents. They’ll likely wind up having less than that because they keep Reed, don’t trade the pick or re-sign some of their own players.

The Sixers could still have as much as $10.2 million in cap space along with the $8.0 million room MLE with a George max deal, Reed and Joel Embiid’s contracts and Tyrese Maxey’s cap hold on their books. Once they spent that cap space, they could flip Reed for a higher-paid player to upgrade that spot without having the cap space to fill it otherwise. They’d effectively be turning $7.7 million of cap space into $15.2 million, except they could only spend that on trades.

The Sixers would still be slightly out of range salary-wise on Lu Dort ($16.5 million), Deni Avdjia ($15.6 million) and P.J. Washington ($15.5 million) on the off-chance that any of them became available this offseason. However, they could squeeze Dorian Finney-Smith ($14.9 million), Luke Kennard ($14.8 million team option) or Naz Reid ($14.0 million) in with the salary-matching buffer on Reed’s contract. Larry Nance Jr. ($11.2 million), Gabe Vincent ($11.0 million) and Maxi Kleber ($11.0 million) could be slightly less expensive options.

In some respects, the Jazz did the Sixers a favor in the way they structured Reed’s contract. If he had a team or player option instead of a non-guaranteed salary, he’d have his contractual fate determined by late June either way. Instead, the Sixers can keep him on their books heading into July and pivot as needed from there.

If the Sixers land a third max-contract star, it wouldn’t be surprising if they just waive Reed outright. If they snag someone on a slightly smaller deal—Brandon Ingram, Donovan Mitchell or Mikal Bridges, for instance—they might have enough cap space to round out their roster even with Reed’s contract still on their books. From there, they could evaluate their options at backup center without him and explore the trade market for him as well.

There’s no guarantee that the Sixers will waive Reed right as the offseason begins, though. In fact, it would behoove them to maintain their optionality with his contract for as long as possible, unless they needed his $7.7 million of cap space to sign a free agent.

Unless otherwise noted, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball Reference. All salary information via Spotrac and salary-cap information via RealGM.

Celtics take nothing for granted on brink of crown

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The Boston Celtics bench looks on as Dallas Mavericks forward P.J. Washington attempts a shot during the second half in Game 3 of the NBA basketball finals, Wednesday, June 12, 2024, in Dallas. The Celtics won 106-99.(AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Jayson Tatum has known since he was drafted by the Celtics in 2017 that the measure of success in Boston is an NBA title, but he’s not chalking up championship No. 18 just yet.

“Even now, up 3-0, nobody is celebrating or anything,” Tatum said Thursday, a day after the Celtics thwarted a late Dallas rally to beat the Mavericks 106-99 and take a stranglehold on the best-of-seven NBA Finals.

They’ve piled up 10 straight playoff victories, including a sweep of the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference finals and can close out the Mavericks in Dallas on Friday.

READ: NBA Finals: Celtics offer little on Porzingis after leg injury

But even though no team has rallied from 0-3 down to win an NBA playoff series, Tatum said he and his Celtics teammates will remain focused only on playing better in game four.

“We still feel like there’s a lot more that we can do,” Tatum said. “There’s a lot more that we want to do.”

The Celtics are currently tied with the Los Angeles Lakers for most NBA titles all-time with 17.

They last lifted the trophy in 2008, and Tatum and teammate Jaylen Brown were on the team that had a chance for No. 18 two years ago but came up short against the Golden State Warriors in a title series that Boston led 2-1 before dropping the last three games.

Vying for redemption last season, the Celtics fell in seven games to the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference finals.

READ: NBA Finals: Celtics land biggest punches again to move closer to title

“I think from our experiences over the past couple of years, the thing that we’ve really gotten a lot better at is not relaxing, not being complacent,” Tatum said.

Brown said the “embarrassment” of falling in game seven, on their home floor, to Miami last year had fueled him this season.

“It drove me all summer, drove me crazy,” he said.

Tatum called last season “a great learning experience.”

“For one, to not take things for granted,” he said. “You’re never promised to make it back to the Finals.

“I think each and every person this year has came into the season with a different mindset. I think it has truly shown that we don’t take things for granted, and we approach every single day the same.”

That mindset saw the Celtics grab a league-leading 64 victories in the regular season.

They are unbeaten on the road in these playoffs and have a chance to become just the 10th team to fashion a 4-0 sweep in the NBA Finals.

The most recent sweep was Golden State’s 4-0 victory over LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2018.

The first franchise to do it was Boston against the Lakers in 1959. It was the club’s second title and the first of eight straight championships.

“Being part of Celtics history entails that you’ve got to win a championship,” Tatum said.

Standout coaches to be feted by Collegiate Press Corps

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UST Growling Tigresses coach Haydee Ong. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines — The Collegiate Press Corps (CPC) will honor seven of the best coaches, led by mentors in volleyball and women’s basketball for the first time when it stages its annual Awards Night at Discovery Suites Manila on Monday

The CPC added five more recipients for the prestigious Coach of the Year Awards following the UAAP Season 86 and NCAA Season 99 to join the group’s list of staple recognitions headlined by mentors from men’s basketball.

Haydee Ong of the University of Santo Tomas will be hailed as the UAAP Women’s Basketball COTY after steering the Growling Tigresses to their first UAAP title in 16 years, ending the seven-peat reign of no less than the National University Lady Bulldogs.

READ: How Haydee Ong transformed UST Tigresses into becoming NU’s downfall

The CPC will also honor the stellar rise of volleyball coaches in both collegiate leagues for the first time in the grand ceremony.

Over at the UAAP, NU’s coach Dante Alinsunurin will be named the Men’s Volleyball COTY for winning a dynastic four-peat with the Bulldogs following a sweep of the UST Golden Spikers in the finals.

Norman Miguel, for his part, will take home the UAAP Women’s Volleyball COTY plum for bringing the Lady Bulldogs back to the promised land after missing out on the championship last year at the hands of La Salle. Miguel pushed NU back to the crown in dominant fashion, sweeping the Golden Tigresses in the process.

The NCAA had no shortage of coaching greatness as well with Sammy Acaylar of Perpetual Help winning the NCAA Men’s Volleyball COTY. Acaylar showed his mettle in the coaching post after pushing the Altas to 11-0 sweep all the way to the NCAA Season 99 crown for their fourth straight title.

Jerry Yee, on the other hand, will be the NCAA Women’s Volleyball COTY for authoring the College of St. Benilde’s three-peat, highlighted by 40-and-counting wins in a row.

In the traditional side of the awards, Topex Robinson will be feted with the UAAP Men’s Basketball COTY after steering La Salle to the Season 86 title at the expense of the University of the Philippines to snap a seven-year drought.

Yuri Escueta, meanwhile, will be the NCAA Men’s Basketball COTY after guiding San Beda to the Season 99 chip against all odds. Escueta and the Red Lions made the unthinkable by winning the whole tourney despite being the underdogs as the third seed, especially against Mapua in the finale.

Junna Tsukii retires from karate, makes move to MMA

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Filipino karate bet Junna Tsukii.

MANILA, Philippines — Junna Tsukii has kissed her karate career goodbye, embarking on a new journey to the world of mixed martial arts.

The Filipino-Japanese karateka on Wednesday announced that she is calling it quits in karate after a storied 26-year career.

“Thank you for your warm support. I have decided to graduate from an active karate player for 26 years and move on to MMA,” Tsukii wrote. “The stage will change, but I will try my best to make it exciting with all of you, so I would appreciate your continued warm support.”

The 32-year-old Tsukii made history winning the country’s first-ever gold medal in the 2022 World Games. She also won gold in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games but settled for silver last year marred with controversy.

READ: Junna Tsukii wins PH’s first gold in 2022 World Games

She fell in the round of 16 in the 19th Asian Games, yielding to Srey Phea Chonn of Cambodia,  3-2, in the women’s 51kg kumite event.

Tsukii recalled her journey in karate before taking on a new challenge in the MMA stage where she faces Ruka Sakamoto on August 31.

“’You better get married already.’ ‘You’ve worked hard. It’s time to settle down.’ I’ve heard these a lot since turning 30. But my body is much, much stronger than before,” Tsukii said. “I want to put what I learned so desperately while traveling around the world to better use in my life. I want to have more fun with everyone.”

“More than anything, I don’t think it’s right to give up on the challenges of my life just because of my age or what society thinks. Of course, there are many conflicts, but I believe there is a story that only I can write, so I will continue to forge ahead,” she added.

Tams bag bronze in preseason tilt, show signs of things to come

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Far Eastern just sent a message to the field of the coming UAAP men’s basketball season that the Tamaraws will be a far different team when the real battle comes.

“We’re not out to just be like wait for our turn, diba? We wanna get out, we’re here, we’re playing, every game is [dedicated] to the FEU community,” rookie head coach Sean Chambers said after steering the Tamaraws to the bronze medal of the Filoil EcoOil Preseason tournament.

Far Eastern showed its grit and never-quit attitude here throughout, highlighting it on Wednesday afternoon with an 80-78 nipping of NCAA power Letran, 80-78.

With the arrival of Chambers, regarded as one of the best PBA imports ever while playing for defunct Alaska, the Tamaraws are looking to turn things around after a disappointing seventh-place finish in Season 86 behind former star LJay Gonzales.

And the former TNT Tropang Giga assistant coach feels nothing but gratitude for having the chance to help the talented Tamaraws.

“I am truly, truly blessed and honored to be part of the FEU organization,” Chambers, who was not shy to admit that he still has a lot to learn with regard to UAAP rules, said. “I feel a complete sense of honor to be back here in the Philippines and get this opportunity.

“This [tournament] is amazing for me because it gives me a slight [idea] of what the UAAP is gonna be like,” he said. “I believe it’s only one way to continue and go up.”

Nothing but praise

Mainstay Jorick Bautista is still a reliable contributor on the offense end for Far Eastern, dropping 21 points on the Knights, while graduating guard Royce Alforque provided leadership for the younger Tams apart from finishing with 19 points and five assists.

“I am just amazed with [Alforque’s] work ethic, his determination and I think his leadership is gonna be so invaluable for us … I know we’re playing with a lot of young guys, but the talent level is amazing,” Chambers said of his ace, who has worked hard after an injury.

Chambers also had nothing but praise for incoming rookie forward Veejay Pre, who posted 13 points and 10 rebounds. He expects the young gun to be an asset when Season 87 unfolds.

“Veejay is gonna have a long career playing basketball,” Chambers said. “I think what’s most impressive about Veejay is that he’s such an amazing kid, too, like he’s such a great guy. He’s one of the hardest working guys everyday, he’s focused on everything.”

Another cog to look forward to is Senegalese big man Mohamed Konateh, who feasted off the boards to come up with 21 rebounds apart from 11 points.

Although it is only a preseason tourney, the Tamaraws believe that the bronze they earned is a sign of better things to come.

“Absolutely,” Chambers said when asked if Far Eastern can build on this. “I told the guys last time that we lost to UP that we’re not playing for show. We wanna continue to work on ourselves and let the chips fall where they fall, and we are out here trying to win.”

Beermen find their way around Bolts defense to level series

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For June Mar Fajardo and the San Miguel Beermen, Meralco’s stifling defense has made the quest for another championship one of the toughest they had experienced.

For one night, at least, they found the antidote.

With some help from a pair of players that saw action for the first time in the series, the defending champions, a 111-101 winner on Wednesday, put themselves back on level terms with the Bolts in the PBA Philippine Cup Finals.

“Credit to Meralco, not only for the way it’s defending me, but the whole team,” Fajardo said after his 28-point, 13-rebound outing on the night he won the Best Player of the Conference for an astonishing 10th time at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Fajardo has spent the previous three games of the showdown for the biggest prize of the PBA season trying to solve the defense thrown at him by the Bolts, a ploy anchored on the likes of rookie Brandon Bates and veteran Raymond Almazan.

Fajardo seemed to have found the answer, and so did the rest of the Beermen.

CJ Perez had another key performance along with Marcio Lassiter with his three-point shooting and San Miguel breached the century mark for the first time in the series after averaging just 90 entering Game 4.

Perhaps the most crucial adjustment that helped that was the decision by coach Jorge Gallent and his staff to give Terrence Romeo and Vic Manuel significant minutes in the second half. The two had not played in the Finals until Game 4, which was held on the same day the country celebrated its 126th year of independence.

Trajectory change

Romeo had been bothered by a calf injury after the semifinal sweep of Rain or Shine while Manuel had to wait until Wednesday to get his number called.

Manuel and Romeo combined for 15 points, the former making good on his seven-minute stint to backstop Fajardo and Mo Tautuaa.

“I asked them if they can play at least 110 percent, and they did,” Gallent said.

Gallent believes the win could change the trajectory of a series dictated by the Bolts, but only if the Beermen continue to find their shots.

“In the first three games, they were having 16 more shots than us,” Gallent said. “If a team averages 16 more shots than you, that’s really hard to beat [them] and really hard to win.”

Chris Newsome produced a career-high 40 points, most of which came as the Bolts were attempting to cut multiple double-digit deficits in the second half; the closest the Bolts got was within two.

A completed comeback would have been a series-defining moment. Instead, Meralco will look to get back to the drawing board and find a way to regain control.