Slaughter closes in on Fajardo in MVP race, Rosario tops rookies

Barangay Ginebra's Greg Slaughter has emerged as a serious threat to San Miguel Beer's June Mar Fajardo in the statistical race for the Most Valuable Player award in the ongoing PBA season.

Fajardo is a favorite to win his third straight MVP award after bagging the Best Player of the Conference award in the Philippine Cup, but Slaughter is making a case for himself after topping the BPC race so far in the Commissioner's Cup.

As of the quarterfinals, The Kraken has a cumulative statistical point average of 27.52 for the two conferences, while Gregzilla is only behind by a shade with 27.51.

With the Gin Kings already out of the playoffs, however, Slaughter's campaign took a huge blow as Fajardo is slowly catching up his numbers in the semifinals.

Other candidates in the top five are Sean Anthony of NLEX with 23.1 SPs, Terrence Romeo of GlobalPort with 22.8 SPs, and Alaska's Calvin Abueva with 22.4 SPs.

Tropang TNT's Troy Rosario, meanwhile, is currently leading the race for the Rookie of the Year award with 16.58 SPs. Right behind him is Meralco's Chris Newsome with 16.00.

The No. 2 overall pick was the runaway leader in the Philippine Cup, but his numbers took a hit in the import-laden Commissioner's Cup.

Newsome was able tighten the race with Meralco's resurgence and TNT's early exit this conference.

Blackwater's Art Dela Cruz and Rain or Shine's Maverick Ahanmisi ranked third and fourth in the race, while No. 1 pick Moala Tautuaa of TNT came in fifth. —JST, GMA News