Earl Clark recovered from early foul trouble to lead NLEX past former coach Yeng Guiao and ROS. PBA Images |
MANILA—NLEX began a new chapter in its PBA stint by beating its former coach.
The Road Warriors showed Coach Yeng Guiao that they can win without him, spoiling his return to the Rain Or Shine Elasto Painters with a 96-90 win in their Commissioner's Cup meeting at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig on Friday night.
NLEX recovered from an ugly start that even saw import Earl Clark getting into early foul trouble, outscoring ROS, 81-66, in the final three quarters after the latter led, 24-15, at the end of the first period.
Clark came just close to a rare 5x5 in his PBA debut, tallying 26 points, 14 rebounds, six blocks, four assists, and four steals to lead the Road Warriors, who won in the first of Adonis Tierra's two games as interim coach.
Justin Chua added 18 points, eight rebounds, two assists, and one steal off the bench.
Steve Taylor put up 21 markers, 12 boards, four dimes, and one steal for the Elasto Painters.
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