Alaska, the league’s hottest team, battles NLEX for its seventh consecutive victory in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Commissioner’s Cup today at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
Action starts at 7 pm with the hot Aces looking to dodge the Road Warriors’ upset bid to gain a share of lead with Rain or Shine entering the crucial stretch of the elimination round.
Prior to that, Meralco clashes with the also-ran Blackwater in the curtain raiser at 4:30 pm in a bid to intensify its campaign.
The Aces are also looking to clinch one of the two twice-to-beat incentives against the bottom teams in the quarterfinals of this import-flavored conference.
“Hopefully, we can keep winning to secure the top two,” said Alaska head coach Alex Compton.
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“That would help us reach our ultimate goal and that is to shoot for the championship.”
The Aces are coming off a thrilling 103-99 win over rival Magnolia last Sunday, which is tipped to give them momentum against the hungry and dangerous Road Warriors.
In that victory, prized forward Calvin Abueva was nowhere in sight after being slapped with an indefinite suspension for his absence without prior notice.
Fortunately for the Aces, Vic Manuel stepped up, erupting for 35 points to solidify his case as one of the best big men in the league.
“It’s impossible to talk to you guys about this streak without talking about Vic. I don’t know what to say,” said Compton.
Despite coming off the bench, Manuel is averaging close to 25 points per game on 60 percent shooting in just 21 minutes of action.
In fact, he clinched the Best Player of the Game honor five in six of Alaska’s victories.
Providing coverage for Manuel in Alaska’s bid for seventh in a row is import Antonio Campbell together with JV Casio, Sonny Thoss and Chris Banchero.
Meanwhile, Alaska rookie Jeron Teng remains at sickbay as he’s still recovering from deep wounds he sustained after figuring in a stabbing incident two weeks ago.
Sporting a 2-6 win-loss slate, NLEX will have to find a way to adjust to a roster crippled by the absence of Kiefer Ravena and Kevin Alas.
Ravena is serving an 18-month FIBA suspension after the being tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs while Alas is still nursing an anterior cruciate ligament injury he sustained during the Philippine Cup.
