ANTIPOLO — Converge will put its unbeaten record at stake when it battles another streaking team in San Miguel in the main offering of another PBA Season 50 Governors’ Cup twinbill later tonight at the Ynares Center here.
Game time is set for 7:30 PM, with the FiberXers taking another tough test in the Beermen in a bid to grab the provisional lead in Group A.
As it stands, Coach Delta Pineda and company are level with NLEX for the top spot in the group, with both teams carrying identical 3-0 records. Converge earned its victories over Titan Ultra, Terrafirma, and Macau, respectively.
It has been a promising start for the FiberXers, especially compared to the previous Commissioner’s Cup, when they followed an opening-game win with a grueling five-game losing streak.
Standing in the way of extending their unbeaten run is San Miguel Beer, which is looking to overtake Converge in the standings. The Beermen enter the matchup with a spotless 2-0 record after defeating the Macau Giant Pandas and Terrafirma.
However, San Miguel’s win over the Dyip exposed some concerns. The Beermen squandered a 22-point lead and even fell behind late before regaining control.
Fortunately for San Miguel, George King steadied the ship before CJ Perez and Don Trollano finished the job in a 109-104 escape.
The former Blackwater import has been a key factor behind the Beermen’s strong start. King is expected to pose a major challenge for the FiberXers, who have been dealing with uncertainty surrounding the status of import Jalen Hudson.
The ex-TNT import, after tallying 20 points and eight rebounds in their rout of Titan Ultra, has scored just a total of 14 points in the next two games.
Still, Pineda and his staff are exercising patience. However, it has become too obvious at this point that their game against the Beermen will determine his future with a franchise that’s hoping to get over the hump this conference.
According to Casino Plus sportsbook, the FiberXers are a +2.5 underdog. The over/under is set at 218.0.
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Meanwhile, TNT will try to sustain momentum from its triumphant conference opener when the defending champs face Titan Ultra at 5:15 PM.
Coach Chot Reyes and his men barely escaped Macau last Sunday, 106-103. This time, they’ll look to win more convincingly against a team that has been suffering humiliating losses in the season-ending tourney.
After losing by a baker’s dozen to Terrafirma, 113-100, in their first outing, the Giant Risers got beaten badly in the next matches that followed.
They suffered a 31-beatdown to the FiberXers, and it only turned from bad to worse after Jimmy Alapag’s Road Warriors gave them a 135-100 whipping.
Some have their eyes on the neophyte club to see how it will — or if it can — respond to the Tropang 5G, who remain competitive despite still missing some players due to injuries, such as Calvin Oftana and Poy Erram.
