Magnolia will look to continue its turnaround in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup when it takes on Terrafirma this Tuesday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium in a battle between teams sitting in oddly different positions at this point of the tilt.
Game time is at 5;15 PM, with the Hotshots eyeing a second straight victory when they take on a Dyip side that’s aiming to part ways with Meralco in the standings. The two teams are currently tied at no. 3 with identical 3-1 records.
Past conferences would see the regular league minnows drop and stay at the bottom of the rankings, but for a change, Coach Ronald Tubid and his men are among the top teams right now, sitting behind Rain or Shine and NLEX.
In fact, Terrafirma even started with guns ablaze, winning its first three games of the midseason tournament before stumbling against Charles Tiu’s Phoenix last March 25, although the team is still lingering atop the race.
But according to the Casino Plus sportsbook, Magnolia is a whopping -7.5 favorite to win over Terrafirma while the over/under is set at 206.0.
Bets can be made here: https://www.casinoplus.com.ph/home/inGame?name=basketball&title=SportBet.
(C) PBA Images
Momentum is also on the Hotshots’ side, having earned their first win of the tourney against the hard-luck Macau last March 28, thanks to the massive lift provided by new import Clint Chapman, who replaced Nuni Omot.
Proving to be the breath of fresh air that the previously-winless team needed, the seasoned internationalist finished with 39 points and 15 rebounds as he steered the crew to a strong start before helping out in the strong windup.
“Hindi namin makuha ‘yung tamang timpla namin. Ironically, that’s our name, Chicken Timplados, pero hindi namin makuha ‘yung tamang timpla,” Coach LA Tenorio said. “But thank God we got this win, with a big boost from Clint.”
Set to slug it out in the 7:30 PM double-header main event, meanwhile, will be the Bolts and TNT in another tussle between two MVP Group franchises.
Both teams are coming into the bout in rhythm, especially the defending conference champions. They’re in the midst of a two-game winning streak after taking down the Road Warriors and San Miguel Beer, in that order.
(C) PBA Images
A major force behind their run, of course, has been Bol Bol, who’s averaging 37.3 points, 16.3 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks in three games so far.
With all that, Coach Chot Reyes & Co. are coming in as the favorites, as far as the CasinoPlus sportsbook is concerned.
The Tropang 5G are a -4.0 favorites heading into the matchup, while the over/under is set at 206.5.
But of course, none of the Tropang 5G will take their upcoming foes lightly. Meralco is coming off a win as well, a 118-105 drubbing of Titan Ultra last March 29 to bounce back after losing to an all-Filipino Rain or Shine.
Import Marvin Jones spearheaded the redemption with a solid showing of his own with 24 points and 14 rebounds, which he laced with three assists, a steal, and a block to finish with a full line, leaving Coach Luigi Trillo impressed.
But surely, he and the entire Bolts will have their hands full in trying to come up with schemes to possibly limit, at least, the 7-foot-3 former NBA pro.
Another cause of concern for Trillo and his men would be the returning Kelly Williams, who’s become a threat from the outside in recent conferences as the former league MVP has made a concerted effort to adapt to today’s game.
