Moving closer to the Big Dance will be the goal of both TNT and Barangay Ginebra San Miguel as the PBA Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup semifinals continue later tonight at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
The Tropang 5G and the Kings are eyeing a 3-1 lead against Meralco and Rain or Shine, respectively, which, if achieved, would put the traditional powerhouses in a prime position to close out their respective rivals before the week ends.
But for Wednesday’s double-header in particular, much of the attention is on the 7:30 p.m. matchup, as the MVP teams will be parading new imports.
TNT has been in the news for days now, given the situation it found itself in after Bol Bol went down with a partial Achilles tear, while the Bolts became the center of online discussions a day before Game 4 after giving Marvin Jones his walking papers.
Coach Luigi Trillo & Co. pulled the trigger on the switch shortly after they lost to an all-Filipino Tropa last Sunday, 77-75, a game that saw Roger Pogoy drill the game-winning triple to help his side regain control of the semis.
Brought in to replace Jones—who went winless against an import-less team this conference—is American-Egyptian Patrick Gardner, who will be tested right away as the 26-year-old center goes head-to-head with Chris McCullough.
The Commissioner’s Cup champion with San Miguel will now be reinforcing the same club he beat for the crown in 2019, with the Bolts hoping he will be the answer to their woes as they continue to reel from Bol’s unfortunate exit.
“Hindi naman mahirap mag-adjust sa amin; alam mo naman kaming maglaro; bara-bara naman kaming maglaro,” Coach Chot Reyes said. “As long as you have a pretty good basketball IQ, you can cope easily with what we’re trying to do.”
Even though they hold the advantage in terms of CMac’s experience and the series lead, the Casino Plus sportsbook still sees them as the underdog, with the handicap set at +2.5 and the total points line at 184.5.
Wagers can be placed here: https://www.casinoplus.com.ph/home/inGame?name=basketball&title=SportBet.
On the other hand, the Barangay appear to have figured out the Elasto Painters after taking Game 3 last Sunday via a 103-98 decision.
Coach Tim Cone and his men have expressed concern about their foes still controlling the series with their relentless uptempo style of play, something that was evident in the last game alone as they had to repel a late rally.
Ginebra, however, seized control in the third quarter, with Scottie Thompson pouring in 10 of his 25 points to give them a double-digit cushion—one that proved strong enough to withstand a late push.
“That kinda turned a little bit in that third quarter,” Cone said. “Justin started getting going, RJ hit a couple of shots, Scottie was awesome all night.”
It will be interesting to see how Rain or Shine responds now that it has lost twice in a row after a thrilling Game 1 escape a week ago.
According to the Casino Plus sportsbook, the odds favor the crowd darlings to come out victorious, albeit narrowly (-1.5).
