Bennie Boatwright is ready for his much-awaited PBA return when San Miguel challenges NLEX in an attempt to get out of a rare slump in the Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup on Sunday at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.
Much of the focus will be on the naturalization candidate as he resumes the role he took in the same conference back in the 2023-24 tilt. Back then, he led the Beermen to the championship by beating Magnolia in six.
But the traditional powerhouse won’t want to waste time reminiscing. Instead, their sights are on realigning their ongoing campaign after slipping to an uncharacteristic two-game skid.
After winning back-to-back against Macau and Ginebra, SMB bowed to current leaders Rain or Shine narrowly. It then found itself blown out by Magnolia while playing with an all-local unit after Justin Patton went AWOL.
Their situation with the “unprofessional” former NBA big man prompted team manager Gee Abanilla to call Boatwright for help, and the 6-foot-10 winger immediately returned to Manila to rejoin his former team.
“Because of what happened, I was forced to get in touch right away with Bennie,” Abanila said after their loss to the Hotshots last Sunday.
Now, the Beermen are hoping for renewed confidence within their camp with this reunion. Even the Casino Plus sportsbook has actually favored them following this development.
San Miguel is seen to take down the Road Warriors by -5.0 points. The over/under in total points scored, meanwhile, is set at 208.5.
Bets can be made here: https://www.casinoplus.com.ph/home/inGame?name=basketball&title=SportBet.
However, this is easier said than done, as Coach Leo Austria and his men will be going up against one of the league’s hottest teams.
NLEX is coming into the 5:15 PM bout buoyed by a four-game winning streak. Their most recent triumph was a 104-101 overtime decision against Meralco, where rookie L-Jay Gonzales buried the game-winning trey at the buzzer.
That win — which they pulled off even with head coach Jong Uichico’s early ejection — did not just stretch their winning run. It also enabled the crew to seize solo second with a 6-1 record, sitting just behind the 7-0 Elasto Painters.
“It’s a big win for us, especially since we’re going up against San Miguel,” said lead deputy Borgie Hermida, who stepped in for the champion mentor versus the Bolts. “So kailangan mataas ang kumpiyansa namin pagdating sa Sunday.”
Taking the floor in the 7:30 PM nightcap will be Magnolia and Converge in a clash of teams looking to carry over the momentum from their previous wins.
The Hotshots are coming off that aforementioned beatdown of San Miguel. Their goal now is building another winning streak after seeing their bid for three straight spoiled by RJ Abarrientos and Ginebra last April 10.
But standing in their way is a FiberXers team that’s regained confidence after ending a five-game losing skid through a 103-82 rout of a struggling Titan Ultra last Wednesday, under the same Ynares Center lights.
Mental edge is also in favor of Coach Delta Pineda & Co. The team crushed Magnolia in their Season 50 Philippine Cup elimination round encounter last December, 114-97, coincidentally in Antipolo as well.
According to the Casino Plus sportsbook, though, Magnolia is seen to come out victorious by -5.5 points, with the over/under in total points set at 199.0.
