Meralco Bolts stun Bay Area Dragons in KJ McDaniels' debut

• Published date: 04 November 2022
• Publication title: Philippines News agency

KJ McDaniels scored a win in his first game with the Meralco Bolts as the team spoiled Andrew Nicholson's hot game and beat the visiting Bay Area Dragons, 92-89, in their PBA Commissioner's Cup battle on Friday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.

McDaniels, who last played for NLEX in last season's Governors' Cup, finished with 31 points. But it was a tough grind for him as he went 11-for-33 from the field including a dismal 1-for-13 from beyond the arc.

The locals, however, stepped up for the Bolts as they handed the Dragons only their second loss of the conference despite Nicholson dropping 50 points.

Bong Quinto's fall away baseline jumper gave Meralco a 90-89 lead with 1:16 left in the game. Nicholson was then called for a three-second violation in the ensuing play, giving the ball back to the Bolts.

Raymond Almazan responded by scoring on an undergoal stab to clean up Aaron Black's missed layup with 38 seconds remaining.

Glen Yang missed a potential game-tying triple, but Allein Maliksi missed two crucial free throws that might have sealed the game, giving Bay Area 2.8 seconds to force...