THE PBA returns to the Ninoy Aquino Stadium for Friday’s 49th Season Commissioner’s Cup double-header, which struggling teams hope to use as a springboard to jump-start the year and finish strong in the elimination round.
Here are the match-ups:
TERRAFIRMA VS. MAGNOLIA
When: Friday, January 10. 5 p.m.
Where: Ninoy Aquino Stadium
Dyip fight for lives
Terrafirma lost for the eighth straight time last Tuesday, 122-108, against Phoenix. Another defeat will eliminate the Dyip from contention for a quarterfinals spot.
Hotshots try to get back to winning
Magnolia will play its first game since its loss on Christmas Day when it squandered a 22-point lead against Barangay Ginebra, 95-92. The Hotshots have now lost five of their last six games, and they want to get back on track in the quarterfinal race with a win over Terrafirma.
Taking the silver linings in loss to Ginebra
While the result against Ginebra was disappointing, Magnolia can take some positives in the defeat. The Hotshots had their best rebounding games in the conference, grabbing 53 boards including a conference-high 21 on the offensive end, which resulted in 21 second-chance points. The bench also produced for Magnolia, which got 46 points from its second- and third-stringers.
NLEX VS. MERALCO
When: Friday, January 10. 7:30 p.m.
Where: Ninoy Aquino Stadium
Coming off losses
NLEX will try to arrest a three-game losing skid in Friday’s contest. The Road Warriors went down in overtime to Magnolia, 99-95, last December 20 to fall to 3-4.
Meralco was held off by TNT, 101-99, in a close game during the final minutes, sending the Bolts to their third loss in four games. The Bolts now own a 4-3 win-loss mark heading to the match-up against another team from the MVP group.
Watkins scoring not enough vs. Magnolia
Mike Watkins had his usual huge numbers in rebounds when he had 23. However, Watkins only scored 17 points, and the big man surprisingly had just two trips to the foul line, his lowest this conference. He hopes to change all that in the game against Meralco.
Bolts can’t afford to fall behind
In all of their three losses, Meralco fell behind by 16, 20, and 23 against Blackwater, Converge, and TNT respectively. The Bolts went on a rally against the Tropang Giga to keep the match-up close, but sputtered in the end. If the trend is to be followed, Meralco would be in danger of another loss if it trails big again against NLEX.
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