BLACKWATER and TNT square off for the early lead in the PBA 48th Season Philippine Cup on Saturday at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
The Bossing and the Tropang Giga collide at 3 p.m. after winning on the opening day of the new conference.
Blackwater already felt the effect of the presence of newly-acquired Rey Nambatac who hit 27 points and 10 assists in its 96-93 win over Meralco last Wednesday.
TNT also came out victorious after nipping Rain or Shine, 108-107, with Calvin Oftana leading the Tropang Giga with 23 points and 14 rebounds.
Although Blackwater coach Jeffrey Cariaso believes that every game must be won, the Tropang Giga's matchup with TNT is undoubtedly a major challenge because they are one of the league's top contenders.
“Every game, we look at it as a big game,” said Blackwater coach Jeff Cariaso. “It’s a must-win game. It’s a playoff game. That’s how we approach it. We want to make sure that we use (the game against Meralco) to inspire us and motivate us even more but we know that going into the TNT game, they are also a big fish that we need to handle.”
In the second game, Rain or Shine and Meralco go at it at 6:15 p.m. as they look to bounce back from early defeats.
Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao rued the 18 missed free throws of the team during their one-point defeat against TNT.
“I think the important thing for us is we can stay with the big guns. Sayang malaking isda sana, nakawala ‘yung malaking isda,” said Guiao, referring to the loss to TNT.
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