MAGNOLIA and Meralco will fight it out one final time for a spot in the PBA Season 46 Governors’ Cup on Friday at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
Gametime is at 6 p.m. in the lone game of the night, with the winner going up against Barangay Ginebra in a best-of-seven contest.
Here are a couple of things you need to know heading into the knockout game.
Magnolia vs Meralco Game 5 preview
PREVIOUS OUTINGS
Magnolia forced a do-or-die duel with a 94-73 win on Wednesday. The win ended a two-game skid in which Meralco won over Magnolia, both of which with six-point margin (81-75 in Game Two, 101-95 in Game Three).
KEY STATISTICS IN GAME 4
The Hotshots outrebounded the Bolts, 57-40, numbers that Bolts head coach Norman Black couldn’t stress enough during the postgame interview. With its rebounding edge, Magnolia also had more second chance points, 11-4, while also dominating the points in paint, 46-24.
HEROES OF GAME 4
Paul Lee finally made his presence felt in Game Four after scrambling to provide an impact for the Hotshots in the three previous matches. Lee had 17 points including back-to-back field goals late in the fourth that allowed Magnolia to grab the win.
Mike Harris had his usual double-double numbers with 34 points and 18 rebounds. There were also other players who stepped up in Calvin Abueva (11 points, eight rebounds), Jio Jalalon (10 points, seven assists), and even Jackson Corpuz (nine points, five rebounds in 18 minutes). Mark Barroca (five points, six rebounds, six assists) was also steady.
INJURY NEWS
Meralco is facing the prospect of playing without Chris Banchero in Game Five after he was hit in the chest area on Wednesday that forced him to miss the entire second half. Head coach Norman Black said Banchero is a gametime decision, and the warm-ups will determine if their top point guard will be able to play for the knockout game.
X-FACTOR
So far, Allein Maliksi has had a relatively quiet playoff series, at least offensively, in contrast to his performance during the elimination round where he scored in double figures in all but just one game. Maliksi has shot 6-of-18 from threes, but has only scored in double figures once during the playoffs. The number of points of Maliksi, especially after Meralco scored the lowest points in the conference in Game Four, could be a key in the knockout game on Friday.
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