Games today:

(Philsports Arena)

5 p.m. — Meralco vs Magnolia

7:30 p.m. — TNT vs Rain or Shine

Magnolia’s quarterfinals aspirations hang in the balance in a crucial clash against Meralco in the final elimination round playdate of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Commissioner’s Cup today at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City.

The Hotshots get one last crack at forcing a sudden death for the eighth and final playoff seat at 5 p.m. for the right to face top seed and twice-to-beat NorthPort.

Holding a 5-6 win-loss record at solo ninth spot, Magnolia is in a must-win situation as a loss will send them packing to join last year’s finals tormentor and dethroned San Miguel Beer (5-7), which will miss the playoffs for the first time since 2019.

A victory will keep the Hotshots’ quarters hopes alive where they will face either Rain or Shine (6-5) or NLEX (6-6) in a playoff for the last bus ride to the next round.

If there is a three-way tie at 6-6, the Road Warriors will take the No. 7 spot due to their superior quotient, while Magnolia and the Elasto Painters will battle for the No. 8 seed.

A Hotshots win coupled with Rain or Shine beating TNT in their 7:30 p.m. encounter, Magnolia and NLEX will dispute the last quarters ticket.

But Magnolia head coach Chito Victolero wants to take care of the Bolts first.

“We know it’s going to be a war. It will be a battle of defense. A defensive battle for us. Let’s see what we can throw at them in that game,” he said of the match pitting two of the league’s best defensive teams.

The Hotshots, however, have the momentum following back-to-back wins including a 107-78 rout of Hong Kong Eastern last Sunday in Antipolo.

Victolero will bank on reliable import Ricardo Ratliffe, rookie Jerom Lastimosa, Ian Sangalang, Zav Lucero and Mark Barroca.

Magnolia is also looking at playing a healthier guard Paul Lee, who saw 12 minutes of action back from an injury the last time out.

“He’s not 100 percent. We just try to manage his minutes. We can’t force him to play his regular minutes. But he’s a big help in terms of direction and keeping the composure of the team,” Victolero said.

“It’s not about his scoring but how he handles the team inside the court to run our offensive and defensive schemes.”

On the other hand, Meralco, holding a 7-4 mark, seeks to regain its confidence heading into the best-of-three quarterfinals.

The Bolts went all-Filipino on Wednesday with reinforcement Akil Mitchell down with back spasms in an 87-91 loss to Barangay Ginebra, which they will face in the next round.

Meanwhile, Rain or Shine shoots for an outright quarters seat against a TNT side hoping to keep its momentum going heading into the playoffs where it holds a twice-to-beat advantage.

The Elasto Painters are trying to avoid falling into a precarious position where they need to fight for survival to advance into the quarters.

Sporting an 8-3 slate and coming off two consecutive wins, the Tropang Giga are just in to prime up for the playoffs.

TNT got a free ride to the top two behind the No. 1 seed Batang Pier (9-3) courtesy of Ginebra’s win over Meralco.