He kept his composure and shot down the Tropang Giga
The talent of Allein Maliksi is unquestioned.
Locked in, the 6-foot-4 gunner is among the very best scorers of the league—able to get it done from beyond the arc, in midrange, and even in the paint.
Unfortunately, consistency has never been Maliksi’s strong suit. That is, until now it seems.
The former UST Growling Tiger is on arguably one of the best stretches of his career, topscoring once again for the Meralco Bolts in their 108-90 victory over the TNT Tropang Giga on Wednesday in the PBA On Tour played at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.
Maliksi torched the Tropang Giga for 28 points on 5-for-8 shooting from downtown and added 4 rebounds and 4 assists. It was the fourth time Maliksi has surpassed the 20-point mark this preseason—and the fourth time he has hit at least four triples in a game.
More importantly, perhaps, Maliksi was able to keep his cool just as tempers seemed all but ready to flare up in the second quarter, where the 35-year-old got an elbow to the groin. He also got entangled with TNT enforcer Paul Varilla, earning a double technical in the process.
But the infamously quick-tempered Maliksi managed to keep his cool and did not let the extracurriculars get in his head.
Instead, Maliksi continued on his torrid run, hitting shot after shot and making all the right plays for the Bolts, who climbed to 4-2 with the win and spoiled Harvey Carey’s jersey retirement ceremony.
Then again, this is only the preseason, but it should be an encouraging sign for coach Luigi Trillo, whose new system appears to be working wonders for Maliksi.
Whether or not he can continue this high level of play is anyone’s guess.