By the Numbers: How the Knights Beat the Supremos?

The San Juan Knights knew the importance of winning their game against the Caloocan Supremos owing to the fact that they could still lose the top spot in the North Division. And of course, they wouldn't want to lose back-to-back games for the first time this season, right? 

In a style that is accustomed to them being the defending champions, the John Wilson-led San Juan Knights came out firing at all cylinders in the second half to secure a convincing 111-88 victory over the Caloocan Supremos who are still fighting for a spot in the playoffs. That was a big way to bounce back from a 64-point outing against the Zamboanga Valientes last week.

111 Points. And More

That, by the way, is just a point below the Knights' season-high which was 112 points in a win against the Navotas last month. Incidentally, the Knights were just coming off a 75-70 loss against the Manila Stars prior to the Navotas game so it shows how dangerous San Juan can be when you face them coming off a loss

Compared to their disappointing loss against the Valientes, the Knights were in control against the Supremos. While Caloocan stayed within 3 points to end the first half, it was San Juan's hot second-half outburst that put the game away for them. As a team, the Knights shot 53% from the field including a 45% hot shooting from three-point distance. On the contrary, Caloocan shot 43% from the field but went 8 for 26 from the three-point line.

24, 17 and 16. And another 16

One of the reasons why the Knights won this one by a big margin is because of John Wilson. That and the fact that he got a lot of help from his teammates.

In 24 minutes of action, Wilson came up with 24 points on 9 for 16 field goal shooting. He went 6 for 12 from the three-point line while also finishing with 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals. An all-around game for the league's third-leading scorer.

However, Wilson didn't have to score more as his teammates stepped up.

Mike Ayonayon reminded us why he was the Finals MVP last year as he scored 17 points against Caloocan. He shot 75% from the field and 50% from rainbow distance. He also finished with 9 assists.

Renzo Subido played for 22 minutes and finished with 16 points. Why is this big? Subido, a UST standout, coming into today's game, is averaging 4.9 points per game so his 16-point outburst against the Supremos is easily one of the best performances in his MPBL career.  And Subido wasn't the only one who scored 16 points for the Knights as former PBA journeyman, Larry Rodriguez also did so to go along with 9 rebounds. 

Photo is from SJK FB page