THE PBA 50th Governors’ Cup resumes on Wednesday after a lengthy 53-day break to give way to Gilas Pilipinas. The resumption will see NLEX facing Macau and Terrafirma going up against TNT at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
In case you’ve lost track of how the conference was going until the league hit pause, let’s refresh your memory about how the 13 teams fared in the first part of the Governors’ Cup group stage.
BARANGAY GINEBRA
Win-loss record: 2-4
The Gin Kings need a lot of catching up being at the bottom of Group B. Justin Brownlee was unavailable due to injuries, and Riley Grigsby picked up the slack and averaged 26.5 points and 9.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.3 blocks. After the break, Jordan Murphy will take over in a bid to bring the Gin Kings to the playoffs. RJ Abarrientos was the lone double-digit scorer of the Kings this conference with 14.8 a game. That could change as the Gins are expected to play with a sense of urgency come the second half.
BLACKWATER
Win-loss record: 3-3
The Bossing got off to a strong start with a 2-0 record, but lost three straight afterwards. Blackwater eventually evened its record for fourth place in Group B - very much in the hunt for a quarterfinal berth. Kentrell Barkley seems to be a good fit with an average of 29.8 points and 14.5 rebounds, as Sedrick Barefield (19.2 points) and RK Ilagan (17.8 points) were also key in the Bossing’s playoff chase.
CONVERGE
Win-loss record: 5-4
Converge’s conference can be described as a roller coaster, starting off with three straight wins, followed by four consecutive losses, before entering the break with two straight wins to take third spot in Group A. Juan Gomez de Liano, Justine Baltazar, and Justin Arana are coming off Gilas stints, an expected boost for the rest of the conference. Arana churned out big numbers during the first part of the conference with averages of 21.8 points and 8.3 rebounds, while Gomez de Liano has showed his all-around game with 12.1 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 6.7 assists per. Calvin Abueva has also been key with a near double-double of 10.7 points and 9.0 rebounds.
MACAU
Win-loss record: 2-6
The guest team went into the break on the back of two straight losses, and breaking it during the resumption could be difficult. The Giant Pandas no longer have DeVondre Perry, Damian Chongqui, Ramon Cao, and Jenning Leung in the line-up for their last four games. The four combined for an average of 84.9.
READ Macau reduced to nine men, without coach Elliott in PBA restart
MAGNOLIA
Win-loss record: 4-3
The Hotshots were on a roll before the break with three straight victories to go up to second place in Group B. The break could be a momentum-killer, but KJ Buffen, Zavier Lucero, Jerom Lastimosa, and Ian Sangalang will look to sustain their exceptional play during the first part of the conference. Buffen has double-double numbers of 27.0 points and 11.6 rebounds. Lucero, who is averaging 15.1 points, 8.6 rebounds, 1.1 steals, and 1.4 blocks, is expected to be better in the second part after his Asian Games experience. Lastimosa ended the first half by scoring 30 points against Phoenix, and he will try to stay consistent come the second half.
MERALCO
Win-loss record: 3-5
Due to a rough four-game losing streak, Meralco is in fifth place in Group B heading into the resumption. But there are reasons for optimism from the Bolts camp. Jordan Vardano finally got healthy before the break, leading Meralco to a victory over Barangay Ginebra after he poured in 31 points, a potential turnaround point for the team. CJ Cansino (12.7 points), Chris Newsome (12.4 points), and Jason Brickman (10.3 points, 6.0 assists) will also play key roles in Meralco's attempt for a resurgence.
NLEX
Win-loss record: 7-2
Coach Jimmy Alapag made an instant impact at NLEX,who got six straight games to start the conference and ended the first part of the conference in first place in Group A. A big part of their early success was import DeQuan Jones but he has since been replaced due to a serious injury, leaving the Road Warriors to make adjustments after signing Deonte Burton. Robert Bolick (17.7 points, 5.8 rebounds, 7.6 assists), Schonny Winston (17.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, 4.6 assists), and Ljay Gonzales (12.6 points) were the key locals during that fast start that can also lead to a strong finish for the Road Warriors.
PHOENIX SUPER LPG
Win-loss: 4-3
The Fuelmasters won their first three games, but were on a slump before the break to drop to a share of second place in Group B with Magnolia. With BJ Johnson accepting an offer overseas, Phoenix has brought in a new import in Marcellus Earlington.
RAIN OR SHINE
Win-loss record: 4-2
Rain or Shine was the hottest team in the league before the break with four straight victories after a shaky start that saw it lose their first two games, and parted ways with Gian Mamuyac via a trade. Aaron Fuller continued to be a reliable import during the first part, with averages of 28.3 points and 13.0 rebounds. With Adrian Nocum’s (17 points, 4.0 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 1.3 steals) polished play, the Painters eye another deep playoff run in the second part of the conference especially with the return of Felix Lemetti, Santi Santillan, and Stanley Pringle from injuries.
SAN MIGUEL
Win-loss record: 7-2
George King (34.8 point average) was a scoring machine for the Beermen, a big reason why they are one of the leaders in the first part of the conference along with NLEX in Group A. Jerrick Ahanmisi (10.2 points) has also fit in nicely in the stacked team, while Don Trollano (17.1 points, 44 percent from threes) became even more dangerous during the first part of the campaign. SMB could become even better once June Mar Fajardo (8.4 points, 9.8 rebounds) gets back to his usual numbers, especially on scoring.
TERRAFIRMA
Win-loss record: 3-5
Terrafirma could have had a better win-loss record if not for a few close defeats. But with the comebacking Juami Tiongson (19.5 points) showing the way, the Dyip placed fifth in Group A, and remain within reach of a playoff spot. Justin Strings had also showed that he is a quality import with his averages of 29.6 points and 11.8 rebounds, while Geo Chiu also posted double-double numbers during the first part with 10.0 points, 12.1 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks, one of the league leaders in that department.
TITAN ULTRA
Win-loss record: 2-7
The Giant Risers are at the bottom of Group A, and have a mountain to climb in order to advance to the quarterfinals. Changes were made during the break as Titan released a few players,and signed the likes of veteran RR Garcia. A long-term deal with Joshua Munzon (15.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.3 steals) also looms, but the season-ending injury to Bryan Sajonia could hurt the Giant Risers' playoff bid.
TNT
Win-loss record: 4-4
TNT got off to a rocky start but has since picked up the pieces following the return of Rahlir Hollis-Jefferson. His brother Rondae, however, remains unavailable, leaving TNT to bring in a new import in Nick Hornsby. Injuries forced TNT to play with different line-ups, but Calvin Oftana is in line to come back after missing the first eight games due to an injury. He will complement Rey Nambatac, whose first part of the conference saw him average 19.1 points per game, a marked improvement from past conferences.
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