Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — Coming into Sunday’s (June 7) Manila Clasico, Joe Devance’s personal game plan was to clamp down on defense in the hope that it would help the Star Hotshots prop up their sagging fortunes in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Governors’ Cup.
But the versatile Devance did more than that.
Aside from making things rough for Barangay Ginebra San Miguel import Orlando Johnson in some stretches, he also made his presence felt on offense just when the Hotshots needed it the most.
In fact, the shooting forward was all over the court as he scattered a team-high 26 points to lift the Hotshots past the Gin Kings, 89-82, at a packed SMART-Araneta Coliseum.
Devance was relatively silent in the first half, where the Hotshots built a 19-point spread, 40-21. But he caught fire in the next two quarters, firing 18 markers including the timely baskets that fended off the Gin Kings’ surge.
Read: Devance, Blakely deliver as Hotshots pummel Ginebra
“Well, it felt good scoring the ball,” said Devance, who shot 60-percent from the field. “But I just focused on my defense and the offense just came.”
The high-scoring Johnson, though, finished with 35 points.
But more importantly, Star improved to a 3-4 win-loss record to share the seventh spot with Commissioner’s Cup finals protagonists Rain or Shine Elasto Painters and Talk ’N Text Tropang Texters.
