LIVE UPDATES: PBA Commissioner’s Cup November 5

The 48th Season of the PBA tips off Sunday, November 5, at Araneta Coliseum with TNT and Magnolia clashing at 7 p.m. Also part of opening day is the annual Leo Awards where the best of last season will be feted.

MANILA, Philippines—Tyler Bey made sure to introduce himself in the PBA with an early statement game for Magnolia on Sunday.

Making his PBA debut, Bey put the league on notice when he produced big numbers to propel the Hotshots past the TNT Tropang Giga in the PBA Season 48 opener.

Magnolia import Tyler Bey.–PBA IMAGES

MANILA, Philippines–Magnolia picked up where it left during the offseason series and held off shorthanded TNT, 110-102, to open on a winning note its season-opening PBA Commissioner’s Cup campaign on Sunday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Import Tyler Bey scored 15 of his 31 points in the fourth quarter while grabbing 20 rebounds to help the Hotshots prevail despite attempts by the Tropang Giga to overhaul a double-digit deficit in the first game of the league’s 48th season.

FINAL: Magnolia draws first blood in the PBA Commissioners’ Cup tournament with a 110-102 victory over TNT. | @MeloFuertesINQ pic.twitter.com/2m4R2JevoX

— INQUIRER Sports (@INQUIRERSports) November 5, 2023

Ginebra coach Tim Cone.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines—Ginebra coach Tim Cone barely did any interviews after his gold medal coaching stint with Gilas Pilipinas in the Asian Games last month.

So when he faced the media on the PBA Season 48’s opening day, he had to address the elephant in the room with Justin Brownlee not being able to compete for the Gin Kings in the Commissioners’ Cup tournament due to his positive doping test.

June Mar Fajardo wins his seventh PBA MVP. Art by MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines–San Miguel Beer cornerstone June Mar Fajardo has won the Philippine Basketball Association’s Most Valuable Player once again, completing a return to form many thought would no longer happen.

Fajardo beat out Scottie Thompson, the Barangay Ginebra’s indefatigable playmaker who won the plum last season; along with teammates—former and current—in Gin Kings forward Christian Standhardinger, and Beermen guard CJ Perez in a short event that ushered in the PBA’s 48th season at Smart Araneta Coliseum in Cubao, Quezon City.

Here are the PBA Season 47 Leo Awardees with seven-time MVP Fajardo leading the Mythical First Team. pic.twitter.com/iupEgVrtwU

— INQUIRER Sports (@INQUIRERSports) November 5, 2023

June Mar Fajardo is now a seven-time PBA MVP. pic.twitter.com/NQBqiDTI21

— INQUIRER Sports (@INQUIRERSports) November 5, 2023

Quincy Miller will play as TNT’s temporary import to start the PBA Commissioner’s Cup.

MANILA, Philippines–Quincy Miller will suit up as temporary replacement for ailing import Rondae Hollis-Jefferson when TNT plays Magnolia to open the PBA Commissioner’s Cup on Sunday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Coach Jojo Lastimosa said the Tropang Giga and Miller were able to secure a release from the Converge FiberXers, who had held his rights after playing in last season’s Commissioner’s Cup.

June Mar Fajardo (left photo) and Scottie Thompson know what it takes to win the MVP trophy. —PBA IMAGES

The four candidates for the PBA’s Season 47 Most Valuable Player award all downplayed their chances of winning the coveted individual trophy that will be handed out during the new season’s opening on Sunday, as two of them are looking to win for the first time, one going back-to-back and the other to extend his record to seven.

San Miguel Beer’s June Mar Fajardo is looking to add to the six he won consecutively from 2015, while Barangay Ginebra’s Scottie Thompson eyes a repeat in the Leo Awards that will be held before the 48th season opener on Sunday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

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