Chris McLaughlin and the rest of Eastern secured the win, with the debuting import posting an impressive 32 points and 23 rebounds on 74 percent shooting.
It was a victorious PBA debut for import Chris McLaughlin.
The Canadian giant was a one-man wrecking crew for Eastern, posting a monster 30-20 double-double in a 84-75 come-from-behind over the Blackwater Bossing.
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McLaughlin went to work and finished with a monster 32 markers and 23 boards, including an ultra-efficient 14-of-19 from the field in nearly 40 minutes of play.
He was reactivated in place of Eastern’s injured import Cameron Clark, who was dealing with a hip injury.
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The victory now put Eastern in solo third in the standings with a 4-1 record, just behind unbeaten teams NorthPort Batang Pier (4-0) and the Meralco Bolts (3-0).
“Coming into this game, I just want to make it simple. [Just] take care of the paint, rebound, and play defense,” McLaughlin said in the post-game conference.
He just did more than that.
McLaughlin made his presence felt with a 21-point first half but Eastern came alive in the second half and led by as many as 16 points.
Glen Yang and Kobey Lam combined for 24 points as the Hong Kong-based club overcame another 40-point outing from Blackwater reinforcement George King.