Games today:
(Philsports Arena)
3 p.m. — NorthPort vs Meralco
6:15 p.m. — Magnolia vs San Miguel
Meralco will be parading Zach Lofton while Allein Maliksi will be making a return when it battles rejuvenated NorthPort in the Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup today at the Philsports Arena.
All eyes will be on Lofton in the 3 p.m. encounter as he plays in the PBA for the first time after powering the Bolts in the East Asia Super League.
Meanwhile, Magnolia will try to stay clean when it collides with a depleted — but dangerous — San Miguel Beer in the 6:15 p.m. featured encounter.
An explosive 6-foot-4 guard, Lofton will be coming in as replacement of Sulaiman Braimoh, who underwent operation after tearing his Achilles during their 97-94 win over NLEX last week. Prior to going down with an injury, Braimoh fired 34 points and 14 rebounds to help the Bolts claim their fourth win in five matches.
Meralco management said Lofton was already cleared by the Commissioner’s Office but his stint will just be temporary as it opts for a bigger import who can provide the statistics they will miss following Braimoh’s injury.
Bolts coach Luigi Trillo, however, is thrilled to have Lofton on board.
“It gives our team a new look,” Trillo said.
“But obviously, we’ll be needing a bigger import not just to match up with other teams, but also give us the inside presence similar to what Braimoh had provided for us.”
But the return of Maliksi, who suffered a nasal fracture, will definitely boost the Meralco frontcourt while adding firepower needed to defeat a rising team like the Batang Pier.
After all, NorthPort will be marching with high morale after shocking a crippled San Miguel squad in its previous game, 115-101, last Friday.
Beermen coach Gee Abanilla said the players failed to hide their emotions and vowed to bounce back when they face the undefeated Hotshots.
“Everyone was mad. Chris Ross was so vocal about it and they’re all wanted to come back and redeem themselves from a big embarrassment,” said Abanilla, whose team played without seven-time Most Valuable Player June Mar Fajardo, Terrence Romeo and Vic Manuel as well as new recruits Jeron Teng and Kyt Jimenez
Fajardo is still out for a few more weeks because of a fractured ring finger, Manuel underwent knee operation and will be out the rest of the tournament, Romeo is still being bothered by a bruised shin injury, Jimenez is still recovering from a fractured bone near his eye socket and Teng is hampered by a recurring hamstring pain.
Now the Beermen face a more daunting task of pulling off a win against the hottest team in the tournament — the Hotshots.
Magnolia remained perfect after six games in the elimination round and continued its sizzling performance this year that started in the preseason PBA On Tour.
Overall, the Hotshots are riding on the crest of a 17-game winning run.
Sensing that they’re going to face a team that has an all-out mentality, Magnolia coach Chito Victolero reminded his boys not to be complacent.
“We’ve seen that many times before, with or without June Mar, San Miguel is a dangerous team because it’s a champion squad,” Victolero said.
“What makes them even more dangerous is they’re coming off a painful loss, so you’ll see that desire to bounce back.”
