Games today:

(Ninoy Aquino Stadium)

5 p.m. – NorthPort vs Meralco

7:30 p.m. – Converge vs Rain or Shine

Staying on top will be NorthPort’s ultimate mission when it faces Meralco in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Commissioner’s Cup today at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

Game time is at 5 p.m. with the Batang Pier aiming to clinch their eighth win in nine games to boost their chances for a top two finish to secure a twice-to-beat edge in the quarterfinals.

Meanwhile, Rain or Shine Elasto also seeks to fortify its hold of the second spot when it clashes with Converge in the second game at 7:30 p.m.

The Batang Pier will be marching to battle oozing with momentum after beating Barangay Ginebra in their previous game last Wednesday at the Philsports Arena, 119-116, to snap their five-year losing skid and tighten their hold of the top spot.

But NorthPort coach Bonnie Tan claimed that it’s not yet time to celebrate.

“Before the tournament started, our goal was to get to the quarterfinals. Now, we’re also discussing how to lessen the pressure,” Tan said.

“Our target is to get to the best-of-three series so that even if we might not get the top two spots, we are still in.”

NorthPort will lean on import Kadeem Jack, who pulled off a monster double-double game of 32 points and 16 rebounds, and Arvin Tolentino, who pumped in 29 points, in their breakthrough win against the Kings.

Beating the Bolts, however, will not be easy.

Meralco, which sits in seventh place with a 5-3 card, is doing everything it can to make it to the next round.

Coming off an emphatic 105-91 conquest of NLEX last week, Bolts head coach Luigi Trillo said they need to replicate and improve their performance when they face the Batang Pier.

“NorthPort’s playing well. They’ve found their rhythm, their import seems like a good fit, he brings a lot to the table. I think they’ve found a good rhythm,” Trillo said.

“They’re pretty solid all-around. I’m pleased with the way we played defense (versus NLEX), we need to follow it up again. It’s gonna be tough because they have points of attack.”

Akil Mitchell is expected to lead the charge for Meralco after a double-double performance of 24 points and 11 rebounds in their previous game against the Road Warriors.