BLACKWATER will be heading to its first PBA playoff appearance in three years without two key players.
Big man Yousef Taha and big guard Joshua Torralba have both been sidelined due to injuries, team officials confirmed.
[See Blackwater signs Jollo Go from D-League]
Taha has been ruled out with a fractured hand while Torralba has suffered a quadriceps contusion in the PBA Philippine Cup eliminations.
The injuries leave the two unavailable for the quarterfinals which begins on Sunday.
Team manager Johnson Martinez said Taha injured his hand during the game of the Bossing against Converge on Wednesday, while Torralba hurt his knee following a collission with Paul Varilla in the team's encounter against NLEX.
Coach Ariel Vanguardia is still keeping his fingers crossed the 6-foot-8 Taha would be able to play in the quarterfinals that the team sought a second opinion on his injured hand.
"Hopeful, he (Taha) will be available," said the Blackwater coach.
Taha leads the Bossing in rebounding with a 9.1 average in 10 games, while adding 7.7 points and 3.5 assists.
Torralba meanwhile, is out for six weeks with a leg injury, and has since been replaced in the lineup by Jollo Go, who was signed by Blackwater on Thursday for the rest of the season.
Also nursing an injury is veteran big man James Sena, who sprained his ankle in the team's 92-90 loss to the FiberXers.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph