Games today:
(Smart Araneta Coliseum)
4:30 p.m. — Blackwater vs NorthPort
6:45 p.m. — NLEX vs Rain or Shine
NLEX shoots for an outright quarterfinal berth when it battles Rain or Shine in the Philippine Basketball Association Governors’ Cup today at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Game time is at 6:45 p.m. with the Road Warriors looking for a win that will put them closer to one of the top four spots in the semifinals of the season-ending conference.
Meanwhile, NorthPort and Blackwater tip things off, looking for a win that will get them out of the bottom of the team standings.
Both the Road Warriors and the Elasto Painters are coming off similar lopsided losses, and their battle is expected to be a grind-it-out encounter.
The Road Warriors were beaten soundly by sister team Meralco, 114-98, last Thursday and it put them in a position to play with a more conscious effort in beating the Elasto Painters, who were clobbered last time around by Magnolia, 112-97.
An interesting backdrop is the brewing rivalry between NLEX and Rain or Shine.
The Road Warriors were handled by multi-titled coach Yeng Guiao for six years before he went back to coach the Elasto Painters last conference.
Under Guiao, Rain or Shine had its best years, winning two championships and coming up with a string of playoff finishes.
In the recent Commissioner’s Cup, NLEX and Rain or Shine disputed the last quarterfinals berth won by the Elasto Painters.
In the first game, NorthPort and Blackwater, two teams with only a win to show at the latter stretch of the elimination round, clash as they both fight for survival.
The Batang Pier finally broke into the win column after dismantling Terrafirma, 115-100, on Wednesday as Robert Bolick and JM Calma teamed up to provide import Kevin Murphy the much needed support.
Bolick finished with 26 points, nine rebounds and six assists while Calma played his second best game as a PBA player, tallying 18 points on a 7-of-8 shooting from the field while also pulling down nine boards.
The Bossing, on the other hand, just couldn’t get their game going with either of their two imports — Shawn Glover and Troy Williams.
Blackwater had lost seven in a row and is on the brink of elimination with a 1-8 mark.
