It’s been quite a while since the last time Converge won in the ongoing PBA Commissioner’s Cup, and the youth-laden crew is hoping that Wednesday marks the end of their harrowing skid when they take on Titan Ultra in Antipolo.
Game time is at 5:15 PM, with the FiberXers coming in with much scrutiny. Many are curious to see if they can return to their winning ways, now that they’re in a five-game losing skid.
This stretch has been distressing for Coach Delta Pineda & Co. as they remain in the process of coming up with the right chemistry, although their most recent loss against Rain or Shine should offer a ray of hope for the franchise.
Despite falling short in the fightback and bowing, 120-111, to the current leaders, Converge has unleashed two-time BPC Calvin Abueva and welcomed back Juan Gomez de Liano, making them nearly complete.
And as far as the Casino Plus sportsbook is concerned, the FiberXers are seen as the favorites in the upcoming bout. They’re predicted to emerge triumphant by -7.5 points, with the over/under in total points scored set at 211.5.
Bets can be made here: https://www.casinoplus.com.ph/home/inGame?name=basketball&title=SportBet.
Plus, it could be personal for the ‘Beast’ himself since it is the first time that Abueva plays against his former team. Titan Ultra traded him to Converge before the midseason tilt in exchange for Rey Suerte, King Caralipio, and Mark Omega.
However, the Giant Risers can’t be overlooked. They’re coming in confident, having beaten Blackwater, 102-98, exactly a week ago, which proved to be the final game of Jeff Cariaso as the other team’s head coach.
Titan Ultra lost three of its first four games in the conference, but is now looking to build a win streak, which would hike the team’s record to 3-3.
(C) PBA Images
Taking the Ynares Center floor in the 7:30 PM nightcap, meanwhile, would be the Elasto Painters and a Terrafirma team hoping to get back on track.
All eyes are on the men of Coach Yeng Guiao, as they’ve been vocal about netting seven wins, which could merit a virtual qualification to the quarterfinals.
Historically, in the last two Commissioner’s Cups that featured one foreign guest team each, seven is the magic number for teams to clinch a quarterfinal berth, according to PBA chief statistician Fidel Mangonon III.
RoS is sitting at no. 1 in the standings, as it remains the only unbeaten team so far with a 6-0 record, and is just one win away from accomplishing its goal.
They want to get the job done later against a Dyip team that’s hoping to regain the same spunk that enabled the regular league minnows to start the midseason joust with three successive victories.
Since then, they’ve lost three straight, the most recent of which was a 101-89 beatdown at the hands of Bol Bol and TNT last April 11.
Coach Ronald Tubid and his men want to get back on track entering the second half of their elimination round campaign. Still, they know how daunting it can be versus a scorching-hot unit.
Even the Casino Plus sportsbook is leaning towards the Elasto Painters. They’re seen to come out in dominant fashion by a whopping -15.5 points, with the over/under in total points scored between the two squads set at 216.5.
