Games today:
(Smart Araneta Coliseum)
4:30 p.m. — Magnolia vs Blackwater
6:45 p.m. — San Miguel vs Ginebra
With visiting Bay Area breathing down its neck, Magnolia tries to create some separation when it shoots for a win against Blackwater in the Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum today.
The Hotshots and the Bossing collide at 4:30 p.m. preceding the marquee match pitting sister teams Barangay Ginebra and San Miguel Beer at 6:45 p.m.
Magnolia coach Chito Victolero said this will be the start of their next phase in the elimination round.
Despite sitting on top of the standings, Victolero is far from satisfied.
“We’ve broken our elimination round to two phases and this game against Blackwater will be the start of our second phase,” Victolero said in a telephone conversation. “Gauging the first phase of the elimination, we’re number four or five in terms of giving up points, and that’s not our identity.”
“We’re winning based on our offense, but our target really is to become the top defensive team or at least, be in the top three in defense. Somehow, our loss against Ginebra made us realize that we need to do a better job defensively.”
Magnolia has been idle for more than a week since suffering its first defeat in the tournament at the hands of Barangay Ginebra on 23 October.
The Hotshots were supposed to play Rain or Shine on 29 October, but the match was postponed due to severe storm “Paeng.”
This allowed some Magnolia players, particularly Nick Rakocevic, to recuperate.
“We caught a big break when our previous game was canceled. Nick was suffering from LBM during that time and Rome’s (De la Rosa) fever came back. At least it gave us extra time to recover,” Victolero said.
However, Magnolia will miss the services of Raffi Reavis who is nursing a back spasm.
The Hotshots remain favored to dispose of the on and off Blackwater side.
A victory will put Magnolia within striking distance of a guaranteed playoff berth.
More importantly, Victolero said he wants to see the defensive intensity.
Blackwater is on survival mode after losing back-to-back games for the first time this conference.
Sporting a 3-5 win-loss record, the team dropped into a tie for ninth to 10th places with NorthPort.
The other game pits two title favorites coming off two straight victories.
Barangay Ginebra is currently at fourth spot, while San Miguel, the reigning Philippine Cup champion, has an even 3-3 win-loss record.
