THE first of six Tuesday games in the PBA 50th Season Commissioner's Cup will take place at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium before the league takes a break for the Holy Week.
The doubleheader will see league-leader Rain or Shine facing Blackwater and Philippine Cup champion San Miguel up against cellardweller Macau Black Knights.
COLUMN: In a Bol-dominated field, Patton has work cut out for him
Here is a preview.
RAIN OR SHINE VS. BLACKWATER
When: Tuesday, March 31. 5:15 p.m.
Where: Ninoy Aquino Stadium
Jaylen Johnson returns
Rain or Shine looks to preserve its unbeaten slate when it goes up against Blackwater in the first game The Elasto Painters won their second game while Jaylon Johnson served his suspension for the March 20 punching incident against TNT's Glenn Khobuntin in that marred their win over Meralco, 109-102. Johnson is back to try and contribute for the Elasto Painters as they seek to stay atop the team standings ahead of the Holy Week respite.
Bossing go for two straight
Blackwater is eyeing to even its record in its match-up against Rain or Shine. New import Robert Upshaw III had a rousing debut when he and Sedrick Barefield guided the Bossing to a 97-91 win over Magnolia last March 22 for its first victory of the conference.
Upshaw vs. Belga looms
One interesting match-up that fans would definitely want to see is Blackwater import Robert Upshaw against Rain or Shine's Beau Belga. The two burly players could be matched up against each other after Upshaw's production in his first game where he had 35 points, 14 rebounds, six assists, and three blocks. Belga had only played limited minutes in previous games including being on the floor for seven minutes against Meralco, but that could change against Blackwater.
SAN MIGUEL VS. MACAU
When: Tuesday, March 31. 7:30 p.m.
Where: Ninoy Aquino Stadium
New import debuts for San Miguel
San Miguel looks to regain its winning ways on Tuesday when it tackles the struggling Macau Black Knights. The Beermen went down to 1-2 win-loss after their 118-92 defeat to TNT last March 28, prompting them to replace Marcus Lee.
Former NBA player Justin Patton will now be debuting for the Beermen in the hope of not just beating the Black Knights on Tuesday but also become a permanent fixture for the team.
Macau's slide continues
Macau slipped to its fourth straight defeat last Saturday against Magnolia, 121-109, even after a coaching change that saw the appointment of Marcus Elliott. The Black Knights will be hard-pressed as they battle the recently-crowned Philippine Cup champions in the Beermen.
Lao an added boost
With Macau's shallow bench, it was a welcome sight to see a different player producing for the Black Knights in Chon Pong Lao after he provided 24 points on 8-of-18 field goal shooting in the loss to Magnolia. The offense has revolved around Damian Chongqui, Phoenix Shackelford, Jenning Leung, and Tony Mitchell over the past three games, so Lao's production is a good sign moving forward.
Perez, Trollano out to bounce back
Cjay Perez and Don Trollano had flat games against TNT which led to San Miguel's defeat. The high-scoring Perez only ended up with 12 points after shooting just 4-of-16 from the field. Trollano shot 4-of-10 and also finished with 12 markers for the Beermen.
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