Barako Bull bolsters playoff bid, halts NLEX 5-game win streak

Chico Lanete of Barako Bull (dark) vs Asi Taulava of NLEX (light). PBA Images/Nuki Sabio

MANILA, Philippines — Barako Bull snapped a four-game losing skid following a 91-85 win over NLEX in the 2015 PBA Commissioner’s Cup Tuesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Veteran guard Chico Lanete flourished down the stretch and finished with 13 points and two steals for the Energy, who stopped the Road Warriors’ five-game winning run.

Lanete sank two straight triples in just a span of 26 seconds with his second 3-pointer giving Barako Bull an 89-85 lead with 1:28 left.

“Well, you know Chico he’s a veteran you can rely on down the stretch. Back-to-back triples were big for us. I’m glad he was able to step up,” said Barako Bull head coach Koy Banal.

Paolo Hubalde put the game out of reach with a baseline jumper that capped a 12-0 run by the Energy with 46.9 seconds remainingy. The Road Warriors took an 85-79 cushion on a basket by Mark Cardona with 5:58 left but were held scoreless the rest of the way.

Barako Bull’s win boosted its chances to land a spot in the quarterfinals and dealt a huge blow on San Miguel’s bid.

A win by the Beermen over the struggling Globalport Batang Pier later will put the Energy in the playoffs.

It was a no-bearing game for NLEX, which had already arranged a best-of-three quarterfinals duel with Meralco win or lose against Barako Bull. Import Al Thornton led the Road Warriors with 24 points but shot just 7-of-23 from the field. CC