Jordon Varnado will be put to the test as he and Meralco make their PBA Season 50 Governors’ Cup debut opposite Phoenix Super LPG in a meeting between Group A teams later tonight at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
Game time is set at 7:30 p.m., with the Bolts aiming to start nicely with an import they’ve grown accustomed to after working together in the Basketball Champions League Asia 2025, where they reached the quarterfinals.
The perennial contenders are continuing their practice of signing reinforcements they played with in past international club competitions, and they’re surely hoping that such a formula would lead to success in the season-ending tilt.
Varnado served as Meralco’s best player in last year’s BCL Asia with averages of 19.7 points and 10.0 rebounds, and some are looking to see if he would be able to keep that same form in his very first foray in the PBA.
And in his debut, they’d be facing a playoff team in the Fuel Masters, who are coming off a 98-96 victory over Magnolia last Saturday in Montalban.
That game saw the Fuel Masters come back from 16 down and finish strong behind usual suspects Tyler Tio, Jason Perkins, and Ricci Rivero, although import BJ Johnson was solid as well with 34 points and 13 rebounds.
No doubt that the Bolts will be preparing for that kind of fight as they will be facing a healthier Phoenix squad this time, far different from the injury-riddled team they beat during the Commissioner’s Cup, 93-86, last March 21.
According to the Casino Plus sportsbook, Meralco is seen as the favorite with a -5.5 handicap, with the over/under in total points scored set at 192.5.
Wagers can be placed here: https://www.casinoplus.com.ph/home/inGame?name=basketball&title=SportBet.
Converge and Terrafirma will open the twinbill at 5:15 p.m. in what could be an interesting matchup as both teams are looking to notch their second win.
The FiberXers began their conference with a 105-74 blowout of the hopeless Titan Ultra last Saturday, and they will look to follow it up against a Dyip team that’s eager to get back on track after falling short against NLEX last Sunday.
That game, which saw contemporaries Jimmy Alapag and Ronald Tubid coach against one another for the first time, appeared to be a blowout until Terrafirma came back from 23 down and threatened, but fell just short, 101-100.
It should be enough warning for Converge, as it will be facing a team looking to avoid what happened in the recent Commissioner’s Cup, in which it lost eight of its last nine games after a promising 3-0 start to the midseason meet.
Still, the FiberXers are the favorites to emerge triumphant in the bout, as far as the Casino Plus sportsbook is concerned. They’re seen to win by -12.0 points, with the over/under in total points scored between the two teams set at 212.0. 
