Two of the PBA’s long-time heavyweights will look to continue their rise in the Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup standings as Barangay Ginebra and San Miguel duke it out in an Easter Sunday special at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
Game time is set at 7:30 p.m., with the Beermen coming in as the slight favorites to emerge triumphant by minus-1.5 points, as far as the Casino Plus sportsbook is concerned. The over-under in total points is set at 206.5.
Bets can be made here: https://www.casinoplus.com.ph/home/inGame?name=Basketball&title=SportBet
(C) PBA Images
As it stands, Ginebra is sharing the no. 3 spot with reigning champions TNT with a 2-1 record, and could gain a share of second should it take care of business against SMB in a clash between sides that are coming off victories.
The crowd darlings escaped the struggling Converge by way of a 99-93 decision behind RJ Abarrientos and Justin Brownlee, while the Beermen kept Macau winless after four outings following a 110-94 just before the Lenten break.
San Miguel is currently toting a 2-2 record, and some eyes will be looking its way entering the highly awaited, intrigued to see how much Justin Patton has adjusted to the PBA’s style of play after debuting against the Black Knights.
The 7-foot-1 former NBA pro dropped 24 points and 17 rebounds versus the hard-luck guest team, and Coach Leo Austria admitted that his big man is still trying to get acclimatized, but added that he’s been picking up things nicely.
So, it’s going to be size versus savvy in the import matchup as Patton goes up versus Brownlee, who, despite being the shortest import in the Commissioner’s Cup for seasons now, has led his Kings to two titles in this conference.
But personnel-wise, San Miguel could have the slight edge, having welcomed Jericho Cruz back in the fold as he’s recovered from severe back spasms.
Ginebra, for its part, remains unsure whether or not Japeth Aguilar could be available due to a sore right knee. And it doesn’t help, too, that Ralph Cu won’t be around due to Gilas duties in the ongoing FIBA 3×3 Asia Cup in Singapore.
(C) PBA Images
Meanwhile, serving as the opening act of the league’s Easter Sunday offering will be NLEX and Phoenix as the two squads go at it at 5:15 p.m.
The two are actually among the four teams presently tied at the no. 2 position, the others being Terrafirma and Meralco, as they all sport 3-1 cards.
Both teams are eyeing a second straight victory as well, with the Road Warriors out to sustain momentum after their 118-113 stunner of the Kings last March 27, in which Robert Bolick took the sheen off Justin Brownlee and his 51 points.
The Fuel Masters, on the other hand, dealt the Dyip their first loss of the midseason joust through a massive 133-105 beatdown, where Ricci Rivero showed the way by resetting his PBA career-high in points to 40.
According to the Casino Plus sportsbook, the Road Warriors are a huge minus-6.0 favorite while the over/under is set at 201.0.
