Magnolia Hotshots star Paul Lee was named the PBA Player of the Week for his weeklong brilliance that had the Hotshots on the brink of securing the second and last twice-to-beat bonus in the quarterfinals
The Tondo native scored 18 big points in the fourth quarter against San Miguel to help down the powerhouse Beermen, 100-90. More importantly, the win gave Magnolia a shot at clinching the second and last twice-to-beat advantage in the upcoming playoffs.
Lee finished the game with 32 points to go with five assists and four rebounds to push Magnolia to an 8-3 win-loss record at the end of the elimination round. They’re currently in solo third place, but also in a good position to notch the no. 2 seeding entering the quarterfinals.
The output is the fifth career 30-point game of Lee as per PBA chief statistician Fidel Mangonon III, while the 18 points in the fourth period is the most scored in a quarter by a player this season.
Lee answering the call for Magnolia earned him the nod as the Cignal-Play PBA Press Corps Player of the Week honor for the period Sept. 15 to 19.
The Magnolia guard out of University of the East edged TnT Tropang Giga rookie Mikey Williams in a close voting for the weekly award handed out by the men and women regularly covering the PBA beat.
Others who were considered for the honor include the Meralco trio of Allein Maliksi, Raymond Almazan and Bong Quinto, Lee’s Magnolia teammate Ian Sangalang, and veteran NLEX big man JR Quinahan. (JNP)