Games today:
(UST Quadricentennial Pavilion)
5:15 p.m. — NLEX vs Titan Ultra
7:30 p.m. — Phoenix vs Ginebra
NLEX remains focused on the bigger picture when it hunts for a second straight win against Titan Ultra in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Season 50 Philippine Cup today at the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Quadricentennial Pavilion.
The Road Warriors head into the 5:15 tussle motivated to wiggle out of a logjam in the second spot with the playoffs race getting tighter heading into the last stretch of the elimination round.
Parading a 5-2 win-loss slate alongside defending champion San Miguel Beer, Magnolia and Converge, NLEX is in a good position to vie for the Top Four spot that carries a twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals.
League-leading TNT (5-1) is playing Rain or Shine (5-2) as of press time in Cagayan de Oro.
NLEX bounced back mightily from a 30-point beating at the hands of Barangay Ginebra by venting its ire on Rain or Shine, 105-91, last week.
It was a morale-boosting win for Robert Bolick and the rest of the Road Warriors, avenging the humiliation they suffered in last season’s all-Filipino conference quarterfinals when the second-seeded NLEX got beaten twice by the Elasto Painters.
Head coach Jong Uichico liked the fact that the Road Warriors have been showing balanced scoring. In fact, five players led by Bolick and JB Bahio finished in double figures against Rain or Shine.
“We played decent defense, but I think what’s glaring also is we were able to score against Rain or Shine,” he said.
Uichico hopes to get the same distributed productions from his wards against the Giant Risers.
“So, you can’t just rely on your defense solely. Our offense has to click also,” he added.
Titan Ultra is reeling from a high-scoring 117-158 whipping at the hands of the Beermen last Wednesday.
The Giant Risers are in ninth to 10th tied with Phoenix, carrying identical 2-5 slates.
Meanwhile, Barangay Ginebra seeks to rebound from a stinging setback in a showdown against Phoenix in the main game at 7:30 p.m.
The Kings suffered a 96-106 loss to the FiberXers last Friday, dragging them down to No. 8 with a 2-4 mark.
Ginebra has yet to string consecutive victories in the season-opening tournament.
Phoenix, on the other hand, will try to spark a winning run after routing Terrafirma, 107-76, last Wednesday.
The league will have a break to give way to Gilas Pilipinas’ campaign in the first window of the 2027 FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers.