By Jonas Terrado
Games Today
(Ynares Center, Antipolo City)
4:30 p.m. – NLEX vs Alaska
7 p.m. – TNT KaTropa vs Magnolia
Alaska and Magnolia seek to claim the first twice-to-beat quarterfinal incentives today when they face separate rivals desperate to stay inside the top eight in the PBA Governors’ Cup at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City.
The Aces take on the NLEX Road Warriors in the 4:30 p.m. curtain raiser before the Hotshots meet TNT KaTropa at 7 p.m.
Both teams share the lead with defending champion Barangay Ginebra San Miguel at 7-2, needing just one win in their final two matches to gain the quarterfinal bonus.
NLEX and TNT, on the other hand, are tied for seventh with identical 4-5 slates, half-game above Meralco which sits in ninth spot at 4-6.
Meralco plays the unusual role of cheering against its sister teams as a loss by either NLEX, TNT or both puts the Bolts in a strong position to sneak a quarters berth.
Alaska is coming off a 116-109 victory over Blackwater last Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, with import Mike Harris and Chris Banchero once again leading the charge.
Harris had 38 points and 19 rebounds while Banchero scored 28 points, continuing his impressive showing this conference.
Banchero is averaging 16.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, 9.3 assists and 1.1 steals in nine games in the eliminations.
Despite their recent surge, Aces coach Alex Compton remains wary of the Road Warriors, who he sees as a dangerous opponent despite losing their last three assignments.
Meanwhile, Magnolia tries to bounce back from a 94-88 loss to Meralco exactly a week ago at the same venue.
