NLEX shoots for the share of the lead while Barangay Ginebra San Miguel seeks its fourth straight win when they play a pair of teams carrying 2-6 slates in the PBA Governors’ Cup at the Cuneta Astrodome.
The Road Warriors face the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters in the 4:30 p.m. opener before Ginebra takes on Blackwater at 7 p.m. to conclude the final doubleheader before the league takes a break on All Saint’s Day and All Souls Day.
Import Manny Harris and Kiefer Ravena hope to put NLEX on level terms with idle TNT KaTropa at seven wins and one defeat at the expense of coach Yeng Guiao’s former team.
Harris fired 40 points while Ravena dished out 14 assists last Friday when the Road Warriors handed the KaTropa their first defeat 126-113 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Two games since replacing Olu Ashaolu, Harris has averaged 42.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 5.0 steals and 1.5 blocks.
Ravena, on the other hand, leads the league assists with 9.7 per contest.
Ginebra aims to restore its tie for third spot with Meralco at 5-2 with another victory in the second game.
Coach Tim Cone is hoping Ginebra can with more urgency after surviving a scare against Rain or Shine last Saturday at the Big Dome.
The Kings claimed a 98-89 victory but not after erasing an eight-point third quarter deficit and scoring the game’s final nine points.
Rain or Shine and Blackwater can’t afford to suffer another loss if they want to stay in the quarterfinal race.
Blackwater has dropped three in a row as it continues to make adjustments after dealing Mike DiGregorio to TNT and Allein Maliksi and Raymar Jose to Meralco.
Rookie Ray Parks Jr. has been consistent this conference despite producing 20.9 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.4 steals.
-JONAS TERRADO
Team Standings W L
X-TNT KaTropa 7 1
X-NLEX 6 1
Meralco 5 2
Ginebra 4 2
San Miguel 5 3
Magnolia 4 4
Columbian 4 5
NorthPort 3 4
Rain or Shine 2 6
Phoenix Pulse 2 6
Alaska 2 6
Blackwater 2 6
X-clinched quarterfinals berth
Games Wednesday
(Cuneta Astrodome)
4:30 p.m. — Rain or Shine vs NLEX
7 p.m. — Blackwater vs Ginebra