by Jonas Terrado
Game Sunday (Smart Araneta Coliseum)
4:30 p.m. – Phoenix Pulse vs Rain or Shine
6:45 p.m. – San Miguel vs Magnolia
The battle between the league’s top two teams and a rematch of last year’s finals will give fans a double treat in the PBA Philippine Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Phoenix Pulse stakes its unbeaten slate and hold on the solo lead against second-ranked Rain or Shine in the 4:30 p.m. opener before defending four-time champion San Miguel Beer battles Magnolia at 6:45 p.m.
A sixth straight victory is what Phoenix aims to secure against a Rain or Shine squad that has won its last three matches.
The Fuel Masters almost got a taste of defeat for the first time this conference when they escaped past the NLEX Road Warriors, 83-82, on Friday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Phoenix led by 17 but fell behind by 11 in the third before slowly inching its way back to extend its franchise best start since its inception in 2016.
“We haven’t done anything,” stressed Phoenix guard Matthew Wright. “In my opinion, we’re still in the middle of the pack, we just happened to have a 5-0 record right now.”
Caach Louie Alas is banking on Wright, Calvin Abueva, Jason Perkins, improving Justin Chua and LA Revilla to keep its unblemished record intact against Rain or Shine.
Rain or Shine also rallied from a double-digit deficit to beat NorthPort, 107-100, in the second game also held Friday.
The Elasto Painters will bank on another balanced-scoring attack which will be led by James Yap, Beau Belga, Raymond Almazan and Rey Nambatac, who has produced solid numbers in the last two games.
Meanwhile, San Miguel tries to get a win before the league takes a lengthy break for the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers.
The Beermen carry a 3-3 record after snapping a two-game skid against the Blackwater Elite last Wednesday.
Magnolia is out to bounce back from an 80-75 overtime loss to TNT KaTropa last Sunday.
Paul Lee is a game-time decision after hurting his hand during practice last week.
