Guest team Hong Kong Eastern drubs Phoenix to mark PBA debut

Guest club Hong Kong Eastern felt right at home in its first PBA game, thrashing Phoenix in a dominant fashion, 102-87, in the PBA Season 49 Commissioner's Cup on Wednesday at the PhilSports Arena. 

HK Eastern showed no jitters right from the start and just took care of business the rest of the way for a 1-0 start while the Fuel Masters fell to a 0-1 card. 

Familiar faces took charge for the Hong Kong team with former Bay Area reinforcement Hayden Blankley and ex-PBA import Cameron Clark starring on both ends. Clark, who previously suited up for NLEX and San Miguel, posted a double-double effort of 25 points and 11 rebounds alongside two steals and two blocks. 

Blankley, meanwhile, fired 18 markers, five dimes, and three blocks as he returned to the PBA almost two years after the Dragons fell to Ginebra in the 2022 PBA Commissioner's Cup finals. 

"We are happy to join the PBA. Actually, we are not the same [because] I saw some comments that we are like Bay Area 2.0. We are not. We are really pure Hong Kong team with some additional power," HK Eastern coach Mensur Bajramovic said. 

"For us, it means a lot but of course we need to adjust because this is our first experience here."

HK Eastern flipped the switch in the second half, turning a slim 49-45 cushion at the break after Blankley went off in the third quarter with a perfect 3-of-3 shooting from the field as they built a 77-65 separation. 

Phoenix was unable to get back on its feet despite getting stellar offensive nights from Donovan Smith and Jason Perkins, who both had 18 points each in the first half alone. 

In fact, HK Eastern would even take a lead as big as 21 after Blankley converted a layup that sent the visiting team to a 93-72 advantage with still 7:09 left in the fourth period. 

Aside from Clark and Blankley, two more familiar faces in Glen Yang and Kobey Lam bannered HK Eastern with the former putting together 13 points, six rebounds, and seven assists while the latter chipped in eight markers, three boards, and three dimes. 

Both Yang and Lam were part of the defunct Bay Area in its previous PBA stint. 

Smith paced Phoenix with 33 points, 11 rebounds, two steals, one assist, and one block while Perkins ended the night with 22 markers, five boards, four dimes, and two steals. 

Scores:

Eastern 102 – Clark 25, Blankley 18, Yang 13, Cheung 11, Lam 8, Cao 8, Xu 8, Guinchard 5, Leung 3, Chan 3, Sulaiman 0, Pok 0.

Phoenix 87 – Smith 33, Perkins 22, Rivero 10, Alejandro 8, Tuffin 4, Garcia 3, Ballungay 2, Manganti 2, Tio 2, Jazul 1, Camacho 0, Daves 0, Ular 0, Muyang 0, Verano 0.

Quarters: 23-14, 49-45, 77-65, 102-87.

—JKC, GMA Integrated News