MAGNOLIA and Alaska look to maintain their lead in the PBA Governors’ Cup as they battle separate opponents on Friday in a doubleheader out of town at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City.
The Hotshots face TNT in the second game at 7 p.m., while the Aces clash with NLEX in the curtain raiser at 4:30 p.m.
The Hotshots and Aces are currently tied at first place along with Barangay Ginebra with a 7-2 loss slate.
The Hotshots actually begin a tough stretch of games on Friday as they will also take on Barangay Ginebra on Sunday in an anticipated rivalry match at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
But first, they must hurdle TNT, a team that is still in a precarious situation for the quarterfinal berth as the KaTropa are in a share of seventh place with NLEX with a 4-5 win-loss record.
Magnolia is in need of a bounce-back game after dropping a 94-88 decision against Meralco last week, forcing the Hotshots to a three-way tie for first place.
TNT is coming off a loss after dropping a 107-96 loss to San Miguel last Saturday in Calasiao, Pangasinan.
Meanwhile, Alaska gained a share of first place after beating Blackwater, 116-109, last Sunday to pick up its second straight win.
Rust, on the other hand, could be a factor for NLEX as the Road Warriors have not played since their 108-105 loss to Meralco last October 14.
