Game Sunday (Ynares Sports Arena, Pasig City)

6 p.m. --  AirAsia PH Patriots vs Westports Malaysia


THE AirAsia Philippine Patriots beat a surprisingly stubborn Saigon Heat, 76-62, Wednesday in the AirAsia ASEAN Basketball League at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City.

Anthony Johnson had 23 points, seven rebounds and four steals  while Nakiea Miller added 20  points and 12 rebounds as the Patriots kept  the expansion Heat winless after four games in the home game presented by PG Flex Linoleum.

The win was the Patriots’s first back-to-back and third overall in four starts, thus giving them an extra   motivation going to their Sunday showdown with Westports Malaysia Dragons.

A monumental upset was looming when the Heat tied the count at 42-42 on a basket by NBA veteran Julius Hodge in the third quarter.

But the 6-foot-9 Miller, who struggled in his match-up with the much-taller and heftier Jonathan  Jones, retaliated  quickly by completing a three-point play in the next play before beating the buzzer with a triple that gave them a 57-45 lead.

The Heat tried to make their own run in the payoff period but were frustrated time after time by the Patriots who played minus star forward Aldrech Ramos.

But Patriots coach Glenn Capacio was not fully satisfied with the win, saying his boys played soft in the defensive end.

“We gave up too many offensive rebounds. I don’t know if we played with overconfidence or what, but I think they realized that they can’t take Saigon for granted,” said Capacio.

The Heat outrebounded the Patriots, 44-34, reason why Capacio got furious.

In Singapore,   the  Slingers held off  the San Miguel  Beermen, 71-63, for their fourth straight win.

The Slingers lost a 14-point halftime  advantage   but regrouped  down the stretch to stretch their winning streak and show the way in the league  with a 4-1 (win-loss) record.

Former PBA  player Don Dulay scored 23 points, including the crucial four markers after the Beermen tied the game at 59, and  Donald Little  pulled down 17 rebounds for the Slingers.

San Miguel dropped its second game in four starts.

It was a sorry defeat for the Beermen, who atoned for an anemic start with a spirited comeback in the second half.

Trailing 39-25 through two quarters, San Miguel fought gallantly back and tied it at 59.But the Slingers didn’t crumble.