TERRAFIRMA faces NorthPort in the main game of Saturday’s double-header in the PBA 49th Season Commissioner’s Cup at the Ynares Center, with the contest all of a sudden becoming an intriguing one.
Meanwhile, NLEX and Blackwater battle each other after suffering defeats in their first games of the conference.
Here’s a preview.
NLEX VS. BLACKWATER
When: Saturday, November 30. 5 p.m.
Where: Ynares Center
Coming off blowout defeats
NLEX and Blackwater are out to atone for their losses in the first game following one-day rest. The Road Warriors were routed by NorthPort, 114-87, while the Bossing were also trounced by Magnolia, 118-100, last Thursday.
In their previous game, NLEX and Blackwater couldn’t keep up with the proficient shooting of their opponents, as the Road Warriors shot 37 percent and the Bossing only hit 40 percent. Then at the other end, Blackwater allowed the Hotshots to make an incredible 63 percent of their shots from the field.
Bolick looks to respond to shooting slump
The Commissioner’s Cup opener of Robert Bolick was most definitely not the performance he wanted after scoring a career-low three points and shooting just 1-for-11 from the field, including 0-of-4 from four against NorthPort.
George King’s supporting cast
Blackwater got another high-scoring output from George King, as he had 42 points and 12 rebounds. Unfortunately, the Bossing had little support with rookie Sedrick Barefield chipping in 24 points as the only other double-digit scorer in their loss to Magnolia.
TERRAFIRMA VS. NORTHPORT
When: Saturday, November 30. 7:30 p.m.
Where: Ynares Center
Batang Pier try to join Eastern on top
NorthPort came back from an early 16-point deficit to defeat NLEX in an auspicious start to the conference. Arvin Tolentino had 20 points, while Kadeem Jack notched 25 points and six rebounds in the Batang Pier victory.
Another win by NorthPort will move them to joint first with Eastern in the team standings.
TR7, Stan The Man in line to face old team
Fans are still waiting for the debut of Terrence Romeo in a Terrafirma uniform and it could come on Saturday against his first-ever team in the PBA.
To add to that, Romeo, acquired in a trade with San Miguel just last Monday, could be together on the floor with his former GlobalPort teammate Stanley Pringle. The two were the Batang Pier’s guard combination from 2014 to 2018 before Romeo was traded to TNT.
Nelle tries to step up again
A pleasant surprise for NorthPort in its win over NLEX was rookie Evan Nelle, who churned in the numbers outside of scoring. Making up for his 0-for-4 shooting from the field, Nelle contributed in other ways by grabbing seven rebounds and dishing out eight assists to step up in the absence of injured point guard Jio Jalalon.
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