BARANGAY Ginebra and Converge are both seeking to return to their winning ways in their match-up, while Titan Ultra looks for another win, this time against Meralco in Sunday's PBA 50th Season Commissioner's Cup playdate.
Marvin Jones of the Bolts and Justin Arana of the FiberXers are among the players to watch, as we preview Sunday's game day.
TITAN ULTRA VS. MERALCO
When: Sunday, March 29. 5:15 p.m.
Where: Smart-Araneta Coliseum
Coming off a defeat
Meralco was stung by an import-less Rain or Shine squad, 109-102, to fall to its first loss in three games. The Bolts were outplayed and outhustled in the match-up, as shown in them having less rebounds, 57-46, and less steals, 6-2.
Coming off a win
Titan Ultra finally broke into the win column with a massive victory over Philippine Cup champions San Miguel, 119-112, two Saturdays ago. The Giant Risers will look to shock another playoff contender in the Bolts.
More scoring from Jones
Jones had a double-double last time when he had 17 points and 16 rebounds for Meralco.
However, Jones went flat in the second half in going scoreless, totally not acceptable for a PBA import who is leaned upon to do almost everything.
Fran Yu quietly delivers
Titan Ultra won on the strength of Joshua Munzon (29 points, three rebounds, five assists, four steals) and Michael Gilmore (28 points, 13 assists, three steals), but Fran Yu also deserved applause in that win over SMB.
Yu had a near double-double of nine points and 10 assists, while also chipping in two steals as their lead guard and a repeat performance will improve the Giant Risers' chances at another upset.
CONVERGE VS. BARANGAY GINEBRA
When: Sunday, March 29. 7:30 p.m.
Where: Smart-Araneta Coliseum
Rematch of the Philippine Cup quarterfinals
Ginebra and Converge meet for the first time since one of the most memorable quarterfinal showdowns in recent memory when the Gin Kings overcame a twice-to-win disadvantage to down the FiberXers. The series closed with a buzzer-beating three by Gin King Stephen Holt that broke the heart of Converge.
Converge out to arrest losing skid
Converge is on a three-game losing streak, the most recent being its 103-99 defeat to San Miguel last Wednesday to drop to 1-3. While it is still too early to tell, another loss could be dangerous for the fancied FiberXer in the race to gain one of four twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals, something that is expected of them with their stacked roster.
Juan GDL status in limbo
Juan Gomez de Liano had a memorable performance in that quarterfinal series when he almost brought Converge to its first-ever semifinals appearance in franchise history.
The FiberXers rookie, however, is dealing with a bone contusion, an injury that could take two weeks, at the least, to heal. Still, GDL didn't discount the possibility of returning for the Ginebra game, but also said he is taking a cautious approach.
Loss spoils 46-point effort of Brownlee
You wouldn't think that a 46-point game from Justin Brownlee would end up in a loss, but that was exactly what happened last Friday when Ginebra was beaten by NLEX, 118-113, after Robert Bolick made clutch shots in the endgame. Brownlee made 4-of-7 from threes and 12-of-14 from the foul line, but the Gin Kings still suffered their first defeat after two games.
Numbers down for Arana
With an import this conference, Justin Arana's production has dropped for Converge, including in their loss to San Miguel where the big man played just 17 minutes and had six points and four rebounds.
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