TNT and Barangay Ginebra, two teams who faced each other in last season's PBA Commissioner's Cup Finals, battle teams at the bottom of the team standings that are looking to stay on track for a quarterfinal berth.
SCENARIOS: It's RoS vs SMB if current standings hold
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TNT VS. MACAU
When: Friday, April 24. 5:15 p.m.
Where: Smart-Araneta Coliseum
Macau goes for back-to-back
Macau finally claimed a victory in its PBA campaign last Tuesday when it took down Titan Ultra, 119-107. With a 1-7 win-loss record, Macau still has a shot at a quarterfinal spot but the Black Knights need to win now in order to be in contention.
TNT eyes quick bounce back
TNT suffered a loss in its previous outing after being defeated by Converge, 97-92, last Wednesday. The Tropang 5G are now in a tie with Phoenix Super LPG for fifth place with a 5-3 win-loss record. TNT looks to get back on track against Macau.
Shooting will be key
TNT lost against Converge mainly because of its shooting, or lack thereof, after it made just 3-of-28 from three-point range. Macau, meanwhile, won against Titan Ultra because of its shooting after it went 19-of-39 from threes. Their shooting will have a say in their chances of winning.
BLACKWATER VS. BARANGAY GINEBRA
When: Friday, April 24. 7:30 p.m.
Where: Smart-Araneta Coliseum
Back-to-back against SMC teams
Blackwater goes for its second straight win on Friday against Barangay Ginebra. The Bossing pulled off a stunner against reigning Philippine Cup champion San Miguel, 126-120, last Wednesday. They have a quick turnaround before they face Barangay Ginebra. Blackwater has a 2-6 win-loss record, and in a tie for 11th in the team standings with Titan Ultra.
Four-game winning streak sought
Barangay Ginebra defeated Terrafirma, 111-103, last Saturday to stretch its winning streak to three games and a 5-2 win-loss record. A win would enable the Kings to catch NLEX at second place in the team standings.
Shooting from the outside
Barangay Ginebra was on fire in their previous game where they played at the Ynares Center-Montalban for the first time after making 18 threes against Terrafirma, five made by Justin Brownlee. Blackwater was also proficient from the outside, but at the four-point line when the Bossing went 5-of-9, four coming from Robert Upshaw.
Spark from Austria, Andrade
Blackwater also won against San Miguel thanks to the plays of CJ Austria and BJ Andrade. Austria made his PBA debut on Wednesday and thrived by supplying 11 points and six rebounds. Andrade was also a huge spark with 13 markers and seven rebounds, five of which were offensive boards.
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