Alaska clinches playoff spot, tops NLEX

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ANTIPOLO—Alaska earned safe passage into the quarterfinals of the PBA Governors’ Cup on Wednesday night after encountering token resistance from top-ranked NLEX in a 106-90 victory at Ynares Center here.

The Aces jumped out of the gates hard and never looked back, leading big the entire night to finish the elimination round with a 5-6 card for No. 7 ranking and the right to face the second-ranked team in the first round of the playoffs.

Alaska, though, would have to beat that team—in this case Meralco—two straight times to advance to the Final Four.

Meanwhile, San Miguel Beer took decisive action in the melee that erupted during practice earlier this week by putting former MVP Arwind Santos and Ronald Tubid and Kelly Nabong under indefinite suspension.

Dez Wells, the Beermen’s prolific import who was the central figure of the fracas, has reportedly left the country and will no longer return as San Miguel chases the third and last jewel of a second Triple Crown sweep for the franchise.

This will be the second controversy that Santos is in for the season, with the first happening last conference when his “monkey” gesture on TNT import Terrence Jones netted him a P200,000 fine from the Commissioner’s Office.