PH Patriots turn back Cobras for 13th victory

BANGKOK—The Bangkok Cobras played a stifling zone but Nakiea Miller luckily found his comfort zone.

And with that, the AirAsia Philippine Patriots continued their amazing streak with an 84-78 reversal of the Cobras last night in the Asean Basketball League.

Miller struck with two decisive forays underneath the rim—a reverse lay-up and a baseline spinner—that spelled doom for the Cobras in front of a wildly cheering home crowd at the Chulalongkorn University here.

Miller recorded his 10th double-double of the season (25 points and 11 rebounds) and Anthony Johnson had 22 points for the Patriots, who stretched their impeccable run to six.

After sinking two crucial baskets inside two minutes, Miller wasn’t done yet.

He shadowed Ratdech Kruatiwa, who couldn’t get a clear view of the basket for his desperation three-pointer that banged the glass in the closing seconds.

Kruatiwa somehow made life miserable for the Patriots early on, hitting six three-pointers that kept the Cobras in command for several stretches.

It wasn’t enough though as the Cobras fell for the third time in a row, their ninth defeat overall in 14 games.

Smoothly humming with their season-leading 13-2 record, the Patriots will go on a 10-day respite before colliding head-on with archnemesis San Miguel Beermen back in Manila on April 14 at the Ynares Center in Pasig City.

Penalties were meted out the last time they met after both teams figured in a bench-clearing incident triggered by Aries Dimaunahan’s deliberate clothesline on a driving Johnson.

Leaning on speedsters Marvin Cruz and Jai Reyes, the Cobras charged ahead, 24-15, after exploiting the visitors’ cold start.

But Johnson knocked in a pair of threes atop the arc and Francis Adriano added another triple from the corner, jolting the Patriots to life.