WATCH: Interview with Best Player Jio Jalalon and Coach Chito Victolero [Dec. 23, 2023]

Magnolia is back on the run, looking on its way to claiming top seeding in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup playoffs.

The Converge FiberXers, meanwhile, failed to check their skid and bombed out of the playoff race at 1-8.

From their first and lone defeat suffered at the hands of Rain or Shine, the Hotshots are now on a two-game roll, nailing a second win in a row with an 88-80 drubbing of the Converge FiberXers Saturday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

With the win, coach Chito Victolero and his crew moved up to 9-1, gaining more separation versus the second-running Phoenix Super LPG Fuel Masters (7-1) in the race for pole position in the post-elims play.

The Hotshots, however, faced tough resistance versus the back-to-the-wall FiberXers, banking on a strong fourth-quarter tear to finish their ride in 2023 on a triumphant note.

They solidified their spot in the Top 4, assured of twice-to-beat bonus in the quarters regardless of the result of their last two games in the single-round-robin elims in January.

And they sustained their hot run going to the playoffs with help from returning ace forward Calvin Abueva.