Games today:

(Ninoy Aquino Stadium)

5 p.m. — Phoenix vs Rain or Shine

7 p.m. — Ginebra vs Blackwater

Dealing George King’s first setback in the country will be the order of business when Barangay Ginebra faces Blackwater in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Governors’ Cup today at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

Action fires off at 7 p.m. with the Kings looking to bounce back from their previous loss to the Bossing, who have been on fire since the 30-year-old King took over as import from the injured Ricky Ledo.

With King on board, Blackwater has recovered from a sluggish start as it won three straight games — the first coming at the expense of the Kings last 30 August in which he erupted for 33 points and 19 rebounds.

Bossing head coach Jeffrey Cariaso lauded the impact of the 30-year-old journeyman to their campaign.

“It is obvious on the court the impact that George King has given us the last three games. He is really a fighter. He is a guy that does not get rattled. He is a true professional,” Cariaso said.

“What he brings of value and what we take on as a big value for our team is really his leadership, his composure, and the way he just inserts himself and how much he wants to be part of this team.”

Veteran big man Troy Rosario said having King inside the court makes their plays a lot easier to execute.

“When George King is inside, basketball is a lot easier. We would run our usual plays but when we have no options left, we have someone to give the ball to.”

Still, Cariaso doesn’t want his boys to be complacent against a dangerous Ginebra side that is determined to score a payback.

“We are fortunate to have won the last three games, but we feel like our backs are still against the wall, so we need to keep pushing,” said Cariaso, who is looking for a win that will put them on the top four of Group B in the team standings.

Meanwhile, Ginebra has been on a roll with back-to-back wins, including a 110-101 triumph over Phoenix last Friday that saw Japeth Aguilar dropping 31 points.

Ginebra coach Tim Cone is excited to see the 37-year-old Gilas Pilipinas mainstay to finally show his wares after being a backup to Greg Slaughter and Christian Standhardinger.

“I’m excited for him,” Cone said.

“He is putting up, dare I say, MVP (Most Valuable Player) numbers at this point through the first round. He has been very, very consistent all the way through this first round.”

“He is doing a great job of getting to his spot and we are finding him. He is taking advantage of mismatches on the floor. He has been playing wonderfully.”

Opening the day’s double header is Rain or Shine as it faces Phoenix at 5 p.m.

The Elasto Painters, who are currently on top of Group B with a 5-1 record, are looking to bounce back from their 112-113 defeat to the Beermen last Thursday.

Filipino-Swedish rookie Felix Emetic, who poured 28 points against the Beermen, vows to do better after losing to a last-minute shot from eight-time MVP June Mar Fajardo.

“Getting that first taste of it, hopefully we can practice to get better as a team, as a whole and next time give them a better fight,” Lemetti said. 

“Hopefully, we will not lose that way, and not get into that last shot.”