FOUR teams which are coming off defeats led by Meralco will look to get back on track in the PBA Philippine Cup match-up on Palm Sunday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
Here is a preview of the matches and the keys to victory.
PHOENIX VS. MERALCO
When: Sunday, April 13. 5 p.m.
Where: Ninoy Aquino Stadium
Coming off defeats
Meralco and Phoenix go up against each other after coming off defeats. The Bolts were defeated by San Miguel, 110-98, last Wednesday in the PBA’s 50th birthday to drop to 2-1, while the Fuelmasters stayed winless after two matches after being defeated by Converge, 92-83.
Can rookies Kurt Reyson, Kai Ballungay stay consistent?
An early surprises for Meralco in the Philippine Cup is Kurt Reyson, who had 14 points in the Bolts’ loss to San Miguel. He is now averaging 12.7 points to provide Meralco an offensive spark with Chris Banchero out due to a hamstring injury.
The same can be said about Kai Ballungay, who is averaging 22.5 points and 13.5 rebounds for the Fuelmasters early in the conference.
Jason Perkins returns
Phoenix will get a boost for the match-up as Jason Perkins is set to rejoin the team after a case of flu. The Fuelmasters need his offense especially with their starters only scoring 26 points in the loss to Converge. It will be interesting to monitor the Perkins-Ballungay combo for Phoenix in this game.
CONVERGE VS. BLACKWATER
When: Sunday, April 13. 7:30 p.m.
Where: Ninoy Aquino Stadium
Fresh from losses over Magnolia
Converge and Blackwater are also seeking victories in their match-up following defeats to Magnolia. The FiberXers dropped to 1-2 after their 83-71 loss to the Hotshots last Wednesday, and the Bossing were defeated by the Hotshots, 106-84, last week.
More three-pointers needed
After making 7 of its 27 shots from threes in its win against Phoenix, Converge only converted 4 of its 20 shots with the FiberXers still missing the services of Jordan Heading due to a back issue. The FiberXers need more production outside to take advantage of the presence of their twin towers Justin Arana and Justine Baltazar.
Blackwater needs to contain the Twin Towers
The Bossing will have their hands full when they battle Justin Arana and Justine Baltazar, who had double-doubles in their game against Magnolia. Arana had 14 points and 14 rebounds, while Baltazar had 11 points and 13 rebounds versus the Hotshots.
Promising start from David, Barefield
Christian David and Sedrick Barefield got off to a strong start this conference, with David making 31 points and Barefield 24 in the Bossing’s defeat to Magnolia. The two also hit four threes each for the Bossing, but their efforts were still not enough to pull off the victory. Aside from the young pair, Blackwater also needs support from the others since no other player from the Bossing side scored in double digits in the game against the Hotshots.
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