Games today:
(Philsports Arena)
4:30 p.m. — Blackwater vs NLEX
7:30 p.m. — Terrafirma vs Phoenix
NLEX head coach Frankie Lim emphasizes the importance of pulling off a morale-boosting win over unbeaten Blackwater entering a long break in the Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup.
He knows it will not be easy, but they are embracing the challenge.
The Road Warriors meet the Bossing in an all-important clash between hot teams, seeking to stretch their winning streak to three today at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City.
Game time is set at 4:30 p.m. followed by the 7:30 p.m. clash between Terrafirma and Phoenix.
“We’re playing Blackwater, a still unbeaten team, so it’s going to be a big challenge for us. They have an improved lineup so I think my coaches and I have to work on that,” Lim said.
NLEX, which sports a 3-1 win-loss record tied with NorthPort, seeks another victory heading into the All-Star and Holy Week breaks with its momentum intact before plunging into a killer stretch in its return to action next month.
“We’re gonna have like a three-week break and after the break, we’ll be playing the big teams and it will include Talk ‘N Text in Candon, Ilocos Sur and then the San Miguel teams,” he said.
“It’s better to have a good momentum heading into that stretch. I think a win against Blackwater will help us through that. Of course, it’s better if we win against Blackwater because you’ll be carrying momentum ahead of the three-week break. If you lose, you’ll be thinking about that for the next three weeks.”
After facing the Bossing, the Road Warriors will return to action when they battle Magnolia on 6 April.
“We need to get the win because the second half of the (elimination) schedule is crucial. After all, we’re facing four contenders right away. Then you also have Phoenix and Rain or Shine. There’s no easy games in the PBA especially against those big teams,” NLEX leading scorer Robert Bolick said.
The 28-year-old guard has been playing brilliantly as the driving force in the Road Warriors’ ideal start.
Bolick has been averaging 36 points in an insane 59 percent field goal shooting per game. He just came off a career-high 46 points to lead NLEX to a 115-93 win over winless Converge last Saturday.
“We have little room for any margin of error. It’s good to have a win before the break. We’ll work for it. Hopefully, we’ll get the win,” Bolick, who will surely be a marked man against the Bossing, said.
But bringing down Blackwater is no easy task.
With the likes of Troy Rosario, Christian David, Rey Suerte, Troy Rosario, RK Ilagan, Richard Escoto and veteran James Yap playing on the same page, the Bossing are enjoying their best start in years.
Blackwater is just a win short of replicating their franchise-best start back in the 2018 Governors’ Cup.
The Bossing crushed Converge, 90-78, last week in a game where they led as by as many as 35.
But Bossing head coach Jeff Cariaso warns his team of the dangers of complacency, especially now that they are facing a tough schedule.
“We want to maintain the good things that we’re doing now and we want to improve on the things that I think we need to improve on. And there’s a lot,” Cariaso said.
Meanwhile, the Dyip are looking to bounce back after absorbing their first loss in three starts last Saturday.
Terrafirma saw its two-game winning run snapped by TNT, 97-100.
Phoenix, on the other hand, has yet to taste victory after losing its first two assignments including a 92-102 defeat at the hands of second-running Barangay Ginebra San Miguel (2-0) last Sunday.
