Sole ownership of the no. 2 spot is on the line when Meralco and NLEX collide on Friday as the PBA Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup returns to Montalban.
Game time of the marquee duel is set at 7:30 PM at the Ynares Center II, with two of the tournament’s hottest teams looking to break the 5-1 knot and capture solo second — and create an edge for their twice-to-beat hopes.
Both squads are coming in with identical three-game winning streaks, with their most recent victories at the expense of Macau just three days apart.
The Bolts had to lean on CJ Cansino and Marvin Jones in the clutch to come away with the 115-110 decision. Meanwhile, the Road Warriors used a big fourth-quarter recovery behind JB Bahio before registering the 106-97 victory.
It will definitely be a playoff-like atmosphere in the all-MVP affair, although Meralco is touted as the favorite, according to the Casino Plus sportsbook.
Per betting odds, the charges of Coach Luigi Trillo are favored to win by -6.0 points, with the over/under in total points scored set at 208.0.
Bets can be made here: https://www.casinoplus.com.ph/home/inGame?name=basketball&title=SportBet.
Winner will improve to 6-1 in the standings and will stay close behind Rain or Shine, who remains on top of the ladder with a pristine 7-0 record.
(C) PBA Images
Opening the double-header affair — the first of practically a four-game offering in Montalban as the PBA also plays in the municipality on Saturday — will be Phoenix and Blackwater at 5:15 PM in a clash between struggling teams.
Both sides are in the midst of losing skids. The Bossing, for one, have lost three straight, the latest a near-upset of Bol Bol and TNT, 99-94, last Tuesday.
It stung as the crew failed to give new head coach Pat Aquino a winning debut. Still, they did show glimpses of their true potential against the reigning champions, which means renewed confidence against the Fuel Masters.
They will be taking on a team that’s lost two in a row since a 3-1 start to the tourney, first a 120-102 beatdown at the hands of NLEX last April 5 and then a 109-96 defeat to Justin Brownlee and Barangay Ginebra a week later.
It’s been quite a roller-coaster for Coach Charles Tiu’s first conference as a chief mentor, but the Casino Plus sportsbook is actually in Phoenix’s favor.
The youth-laden unit has the winning edge by a margin of -5.5 points, with the over/under in total points scored set at 205.0 points.
