Meralco aiming to restore power

Games today:

(Ninoy Aquino Stadium)

5:00 p.m. — Phoenix vs Meralco

7:30 p.m. — Converge vs Blackwater

Four teams looking to recover from setbacks pair up for a bounce-back Sunday in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Philippine Cup at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

Defending champion Meralco seeks to rediscover its winning ways after seeing its two-game romp come to a screeching halt when it takes on listless Phoenix in the curtain-raiser at 5 p.m.

Clashing in the main game at 7:30 p.m. are Converge and Blackwater.

The Bolts opened their repeat bid on a scorching start with victories over Converge and Terrafirma.

Meralco’s run, however, hit a snag when it suffered a 98-110 loss in a rematch against 2024 all-Filipino conference finals victim San Miguel Beer last Wednesday on the league’s 50th anniversary.

Chris Newsome, who dropped 27 points in a lost cause last game, Kurt Reyson, Aaron Black, Raymar Jose and Cliff Hodge vow to carry the Bolts back on the right track.

But Hodge and other big men Raymond Almazan and Brandon Bates will have their hands full with the return of Fuel Masters bruiser Jason Perkins to back young center Kai Ballungay down low.

Perkins was missing in action in Phoenix’s back-to-back losses to Terrafirma and Converge due to the flu. Now fully recovered, the burly forward with an outside touch is expected to bring the firepower the Fuel Masters need to snap out of their slump.

Head coach Jamike Jarin knows Meralco will come charging after a loss.

“It’s going to be tough. But the good thing about it is, we got Perkins back,” he said.

“It is the first time in the conference that we’ll have a full lineup.”

Outside shooting is a cause for concern for the Fuel Masters after a cold combined 6-of-55 from the trifecta.

“We just can’t convert. Open, challenged shot, we just can’t make them. We’ve been shooting really badly in our last two games,” Jarin said.

On the other hand, the FiberXers eye to rebound from a 71-83 loss to Magnolia last Wednesday.

Converge has been blowing cold-hot-cold in its first three outings to a 1-2 mark.

The Bossing, meanwhile, hope to finally gift head coach Jeffrey Cariaso, who was recently elevated into the PBA 50 Greatest Players, a victory.

Blackwater was denied the chance last week after getting blown out by the Hotshots, 84-106, in its tournament debut.