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Source: Nelson Beltran, philstar.com
-- Purefoods Tender Juicy broke loose from a tight game in the third quarter then held off Burger King’s fightback down the stretch as it pulled off an 85-74 victory in their Christmas Day showdown in the KFC PBA Philippine Cup at the Astrodome.

The Giants toughened up on defense in the second half then pounced on the Whoppers’ crucial errors as they came through with their decisive third-quarter assault to build double-digit leads en route to posting their ninth win against six losses.

“Coming into the game, we knew we can’t challenge Burger King in a shootout and we have to buckle down on defense. Defense has been bailing us out the whole conference and it will play a big role in our coming games,” said Purefoods coach Ryan Gregorio.

“We always aim for the two outright slots in the semis. If we fall short and land in the Top Five, it’s not bad,” said Gregorio as they remained in fourth behind San Miguel Beer (12-3), Alaska Milk (11-2) and Talk n Text (10-5) heading into a two-week holiday break.

Action in the all-Filipino tourney resumes on Jan. 6 at the Araneta Coliseum with Sta. Lucia playing Rain or Shine and Talk n Text facing Barangay Ginebra.

Burger King is at seventh with a 5-10 win-loss card, two and a half games in front of tail-ender Barako Bull (2-12).

BK, Rain or Shine, Coca-Cola and Barako Bull disputing the last three slots in the wildcard round.

The Whoppers battled the Giants in a close duel in the first half but faded away in the last two quarters, committing costly turnovers in the face of Purefoods’ efficient defense.

Kerby Raymundo led all scorers with 19 and teamed up with James Yap, Roger Yap and Paul Artadi in their key third-quarter breakaway.

Artadi, Pingris and Roger Yap combined for eight straight fastbreak points to highlight the Giants’ breakaway from a 43-41 edge at halftime.

Purefoods built a 15-point spread at 70-55 then repulsed BK’s fourth-quarter chase to get back on track following back-to-back setbacks to the San Miguel Beermen and the Talk n Text Tropang Texters.

“This is a good way to finish the year. The break is also good for us as it will allow our injured players to recover from their injuries,” said Raymundo.