Meralco, Ginebra gun for strong elims finish
Credit to Author: Josef T. Ramos, TMT| Date: Sat, 16 Nov 2019 16:13:21 +0000
Meralco and Barangay Ginebra San Miguel are both aiming for a strong finish in the elimination round when they face their respective foes tonight in Season 44 Philippine Basketball Association Governors’ Cup at the Araneta Coliseum.
The Bolts, who already secured a twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals, will battle Rain or Shine at 4:30 p.m. while the Gin Kings will take on Northport in the 6:45 p.m. game.
Northport during a Season 44 PBA Governors’ Cup game recently at the Ynares Sports Center in Antipolo. PBA MEDIA BUREAU PHOTO
The Bolts are presently holding an 8-2 win-loss record highlighted by a five-game winning streak. Meralco is sharing the No. 1 spot with Northern Luzon Expressway (NLEX) that is holding a similar 8-2 record.
“We will just go out and try to win. Our focus is to be more consistent and continue to play good basketball in preparation for the playoffs,” said Grand Slam coach Norman Black.
Leading the Bolts are two-time Best Import Allen Durham, Raymond Almazan, Chris Newsome and Baser Amer.
Rain or Shine (3-7) will be fighting for survival against Meralco, as an eighth setback will make the Elasto Painters suffer elimination like Phoenix Pulse and Blackwater.
Meanwhile, the Gin Kings (7-3) will shoot for their third straight win against the Batang Pier (4-6).
Ginebra is coming off a 113-90 win over Columbian Dyip on Friday behind Justin Brownlee’s 26 points, nine rebounds and nine assists. That victory also earned the Gin Kings a chance to cop a twice-to-beat at No. 4.
But standing in their way is an upbeat Northport who scored an upset against top seed NLEX (102-94) last week. The Batang Pier hope to repeat the feat to reach the quarterfinals.
“For us, we treat this game a do or die, kailangan manalo para sa playoffs (we need to win to enter the playoffs). I’m happy that big win against NLEX has boosted my players’ confidence,” said Northport coach Pido Jarencio.