Zav Lucero provides everything Magnolia needs: Energy, hustle in offense and defense and heart.
When the Hotshots were pressed for an all-important win, the young winger showed the way with an inspired game for a Top Four seeding in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Philippine Cup playoffs.
With much at stake, Lucero stepped up yet again to fire 24 points on a 64 percent field goal (9-of-13), adding eight rebounds, five assists, three blocks and one block as Magnolia got the job done over TNT, 88-83, to secure a twice-to-beat quarterfinals advantage.
The Hotshots closed the elimination round with an 8-3 win-loss record and occupied the No. 3 seed.
Such strong performance in a high-pressure game earned the 6-foot-6 Filipino-American the PBA Press Corps-Pilipinas Live Player of the Week honors for 11 to 15 June.
The athletic forward capped his heroics with an eight-point fourth quarter contribution, including four free throws in the dying seconds that extinguished the late threat of the Tropang 5G, who would turn out to be their quarters opponent.
Their playoffs game is being played as of press time.
It was Lucero’s third time to win the weekly citation in Season 49 as he matched the hat trick of accolades first accomplished by TNT’s Calvin Oftana.
