Gutsy Munzon of NorthPort cops PBA Player of the Week plum

MANILA, Philippines — A cramps-hit Joshua Munzon returning to the floor to make big plays down the stretch typifies the big fight in the NorthPort crew that’s been holding sway in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup.

Determined to deliver a “statement game” against longtime tormentor Barangay Ginebra, Munzon and the Batang Pier spared no pains to get it done and pull off a king-sized 119-116 upset.

It was a massive win for the troops of coach Bonnie Tan, who not only stayed at the summit at 7-1 but also ended a 14-game futility against the crowd darlings dating back to 2019.

Munzon, checking back in for the fouled-out Arvin Tolentino after getting treated for cramps on the bench, hit a booming triple that gave NorthPort a 117-109 cushion in the last 1:10. Later, he made a split that restored a two-point spread in the face of the Gin Kings’ furious uprising.

“He’s a fighter. He wanted to go back and finish the game,” NorthPort coach Bonnie Tan said of the Filipino-American shooting guard/small forward, who produced 27 points, six assists and two steals to complement import Kadeem Jack’s 32-16 and Tolentino’s 29.

Munzon’s gutsy effort in that drought-ending victory versus Ginebra earned him the nod as the PBA Press Corps-Pilipinas Live Player of the Week for the period Jan. 5 to 12.

The 6-foot-4 Fil-Am was the first recipient for 2025 of the weekly honor handed by the members of the media regularly covering the PBA beat, besting the other outstanding performers like teammate Tolentino and TNT’s RR Pogoy and Calvin Oftana.

NorthPort will have a bigger target on its back from here on but Munzon said the gang will be ready.

"We've kinda grown over these eight games, being able to close out games when it's tight and sticking together, getting stops and playing in crunch time like that. But you know, when the game gets going back and forth like that, it's pretty fun to be out there. That's what we love to do," he said.