Arvin Tolentino —PBA IMAGES
Arvin Tolentino's game-winning jumper not only ended NorthPort's five-game losing streak but also prevented his team from potentially being eliminated in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Philippine Cup.
His shot with 7.6 seconds left allowed Batang Pier to come away with a thrilling 115-113 victory over Blackwater Bossing in Caloocan City and finish the elimination stage of the all-Filipino tournament at 5-6 (win-loss).
It's a huge sigh of relief for NorthPort, which blew an 18-point halftime lead and trailed by two in the final seconds. If Blackwater had preserved its lead to the end, NorthPort could have eventually drawn up early vacation plans.
NorthPort moved up to eighth in the standings, pushing one team into the quarterfinals and knocking another out of contention.
Barangay Ginebra became the second team to qualify for the quarterfinals with NorthPort's triumph. Later, they beat Converge 105-93, in the other game held in Cagayan de Oro City.
Phoenix will miss the playoffs with its 3-7 card and one game to spare, as eight teams already have at least five wins, including NorthPort.
NLEX and Magnolia are tied at 5-3 ahead of their respective games on Sunday at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig City. NLEX faces undefeated San Miguel Beer, which has a perfect record of eight wins, at 6:15 p.m.
Outside chance
Magnólia wants to recover from the 98-91 defeat to San Miguel last Friday, in the 3 pm debut against Meralco.
TNT holds a 5-4 record, while Rain or Shine and Terrafirma carry identical 5-5 slates.
Meralco is ninth at 4-5, while Blackwater is 10th at 3-6 after losing its sixth straight game.
Tolentino finished with 27 points to save NorthPort from collapse against a Blackwater team that rallied behind a season-high 33 from Troy Rosario.
Key performances from Joshua Munzon and newcomers Damie Cuntapay, Zavier Lucero and Fran Yu also put NorthPort in a position to play the waiting game rather than desperately praying for teams to make mistakes.
NorthPort still has a chance to qualify directly for the quarterfinals or, at least, win a knockout game for the last spot in the playoffs.
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NorthPort's eventual fate will be known once the remaining five doubleheaders are completed.
