A month after their epic championship battle, TNT and Ginebra return to the court, as the traditional powerhouses begin their respective campaigns in the Season 50 Governors’ Cup later at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
The Tropang 5G will open their versus the still-winless Macau at 5:15 PM in a battle between Group A competitors. Then the Kings take the floor at 7:30 PM to challenge current Group B co-leaders Phoenix Super LPG (2-0).
Much of the focus, of course, is on the crowd darlings, who are returning to action after winning the Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup by ousting their long-time corporate in a best-of-7 showdown that went the distance.
But this time, there’s no Justin Brownlee yet. The 7-time champion is recovering from a slew of leg injuries he suffered last conference that worsened during Gilas’ recent FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers run.
Instead, the Barangay will be parading an unheralded reinforcement in Riley Grigsby, who’s coming off his maiden season in the NBA G League in which he suited up for the Santa Cruz Warriors and the Sioux Falls Skyforce.
Ginebra is still in the process of integrating the 26-year-old, but the team hopes to rack up wins in the process. And they’ll start with a showdown against the Fuel Masters, who share the Group B lead with Blackwater.
After downing Magnolia in its conference opener, Phoenix followed it up with a thrilling 98-97 escape against Meralco last Wednesday. The team now looks to push its luck as it serves as the welcoming committee to the Kings.
Per the Casino Plus sportsbook, the Gin Kings are a -7.5 favorite over the Fuel Masters while the over/under is set at 210.5.
Wagers can be placed here: https://www.casinoplus.com.ph/home/inGame?name=Basketball&title=SportBet.
Meanwhile, TNT is eager to kick off its title defense on a winning note as the defending Governors’ Cup champion.
With Darius Days as reinforcement, the Tropang 5G are keen on moving on from last conference’s heartbreak. They can begin with a win against the Giant Pandas, who have hardly shown any growth from the Commissioner’s Cup.
Still hounded by manpower issues similar to its maiden PBA gig, the guest team is currently at 0-3 in Group A. Its most recent loss was a 149-124 result versus Justin Arana and Converge just last Friday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
The Casino Plus sportsbook says TNT is a +15.5 favorite over Macau.
