DOING a quick turnaround in just a day’s rest is the order of the day for the six teams figuring in what should be an explosive tripleheader today in the PBA Philippine Cup at the Don Honorio Ventura State U Gym in Bacolor, Pampanga.
TNT tries to at least keep its hold on the lead when it squares off with an NLEX squad also trying to get back on track while San Miguel Beer and Ginebra both want to make it two in a row when they clash in the nightcap.
Also aiming for back-to-back wins is Magnolia, which collides with Rain or Shine in the curtain-raiser.
Like Magnolia, TNT is gunning for a seventh win, which right now would be enough for at least a playoff spot in the quarterfinals. But first, the Tropang Giga should put their 67-83 loss to SMB just last Wednesday behind them.
The Beermen and Kings also want to make it past the 11-game eliminations and would enhance their chances should the former score another win and the defending champions follow up their hard-earned 83-77 decision over the Elasto Painters also Wednesday.
For their part, NLEX and Rain or Shine want to do a big rebound.
The Road Warriors absorbed a numbing 105-112 double overtime loss to Magnolia just two days before, cutting short their three-game winning streak, while that loss to the Kings was the E-Painters’ second straight in the tournament.
Considering what’s at stake for the protagonists, expect each game to be more of a grind-it-out affair.
More so the opener featuring two defense-oriented teams.
“We understand the importance of this game in regards to our intention of bouncing back from consecutive losses and also making sure we allow ourselves to take another step closer to playoff contention,” said RoS coach Chris Gavina.
“We know it will be a dogfight against Magnolia because we are two defensive-minded teams which extremely take pride in being considered very good defensive teams,” added Gavina.
Indeed, the E-Painters allow only a tournament-low 75.9 ppg, which is around nine points less than what the Hotshots, fifth in defense, give up.
But Magnolia ranks third overall in offense, scoring 91.8 points an outing to RoS’ 74,1 ppg, which is a tournament-worst.
