John Wilson of San Juan brings his leadership to the Knights in the MPBL. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
San Juan clobbered Pampanga in front of its hometown crowd even as Parañaque slipped past Valenzuela, 76-73, in the 2018 Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League Datu Cup Wednesday night in Angeles.
The Knights showed their fiery form in their first game of the long MPBL season, drawing huge contributions from the bench, 68-28, to shackle the Lanterns.
Former Ginebra gunner John Wilson led the way for San Juan with 20 points built on four triples while ex-Mapua guard CJ Isit added 14 points.
Larry Rodriguez, who suited up for several PBA teams since 2008, added 12 points while Mike Ayonayon had 10 and Mac Cardona had nine.
Meanwhile, the F2 Logistics-sponsored Parañaque Patriots leaned on their prolific scorer Mac Montilla to fend off the Valenzuela Classic.
Montilla, who made a mark in the PBA D-League, churned out 20 points on 4-of-6 three-point clip.
San Beda standout Ryusei Koga added 12 points while Harold Arboleda finished with a near double-double with nine points and 10 rebounds.