Games Today
(Cuneta Astrodome)
4:15 p.m. – Star vs Blackwater
7 p.m. – TNT vs GlobalPort
TNT, GlobalPort roll out full arsenal in crucial tiff.
TNT KaTropa and GlobalPort cannot afford to let their guards down as they face off in tonight’s featured game of the PBA Philippine Cup at the Cuneta Astrodome.
With the playoff race very tight, winning the 7 p.m. contest will put either team closer to a seat in the quarterfinals while boosting their bid to secure a twice-to-beat advantage.
Also a match that may shake up the playoff chase is the 4:15 p.m. opener between Blackwater and Star, two teams locked in a tight battle for lower seeds in the quarters.
As of the moment, defending champion San Miguel is guaranteed of a place in the quarterfinals plus a twice-to-beat bonus with its 9-1 record. Phoenix, on the other hand, is in second place at 6-4 following Sunday’s 79-73 victory over Ginebra.
TNT and GlobalPort are joined by Alaska and Rain or Shine a four-way share of third to sixth at 5-4, followed by Blackwater and Ginebra with similar 5-5 slates.
Star is currently outside the top eight with its 4-4 record while Meralco (3-7), Mahindra (2-7) and NLEX (2-7) are already out of playoff contention.
TNT is a week removed from its 104-92 victory over Mahindra, a result that snapped the KaTropa’s two-game losing skid.
Coach Nash Racela, who has been open critiquing his team’s up-and-down performance this conference, said that his main focus is for TNT to assure its place in the quarters.
“Wala pa sa isip namin yung pumasok sa top two,” Racela said. “Pumasok sa next round, yun talaga yung focus namin.
Pag pumasok ka dun, kung sino makakatapat mo, yun na lang ang focus mo.”
While TNT, which will be led by Jayson Castro and Troy Rosario to name a few, carries a bit of momentum after last week’s win, GlobalPort, behind sparkplug Terrence Romeo, is aching to rebound from losing 106-100 to San Miguel last Saturday in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu.
The Batang Pier were in the thick of things, even battled the Beermen to a seesaw affair. But back-to-back turnovers in the homestretch allowed San Miguel to come away with a victory.
Meanwhile, Blackwater is coming off a 99-90 loss to Ginebra even as Star is seeing action for the first time since its 90-77 triumph against TNT last Jan. 15.
