With his eyes on the trophy, Bey puts his team above himself.
Tyler Bey may not have produced his usual numbers, but Magnolia still came through with an 88-80 win over San Miguel in Game Three to keep its head above water in the ongoing PBA season 48 Commissioner’s Cup title showdown.
Averaging 24 points in the Hotshots' first two duels against the Beermen in the Finals, the 6-foot-7 American reinforcement only had 11 points Wednesday night.
The limited offensive output, however, did not prevent Bey from making his presence felt in other departments, especially in making things tough for San Miguel counterpart Bennie Boatwright.
[ALSO READ: PBA: Marcio Lassiter misses shooting touch in Game 3, eyes better execution for Beermen]
Boatwright had to bleed to come up with 27 points on 6-of-15 shooting, including a 4-for-13 clip from three.
Bey had to sacrifice his scoring for this more daunting task.
That's how badly he wanted to win.
“Like I said, it’s just me sacrificing. I just want to win. I don’t really care about [anything] else,” he said after Magnolia's Game Three triumph.
“I just want to win a game and get my teammates to the Promised Land.”
With Bey taking a backseat on the offensive end, the local vets shone.
Mark Barroca punched in a team-high 20 points, Paul Lee came off the bench to fire 12 markers built on two triples while Ian Sangalang and Jio Jalalon combined for 21 points.
Bey also noted how the two-day rest between Games Two and Three made a world of difference as the Hotshots barely had one after their extended semifinal battle against Phoenix.
“[It’s] very important,” said Bey, referring to the respite.
“It’s always good to take care of your body, had time to lock in on the things you did from last game. We took advantage of that today.”
Magnolia coach Chito Victolero commended his prized import for a job well done.
“TBey knows that we need to have that defensive mentality on Boatwright and he’s the one we assigned on Boatwright,” said Victolero.
“Tyler is also very athletic, strong. I think he’s the best player to assign to Boatwright. Hopefully, next game, magawa niya ['yung] same job.”
Expect Bey to come out with the same resolve when Game Four unfurls on Friday also at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
“It’s the playoffs, so I’m just going to give it my all,” said Bey.
The match starts at 7:35 p.m. and will be aired on RPTV, A2Z, PBA Rush and the Pilipinas Live app.