Games today:
(Ynares Center-Montalban)
5:15 p.m. — Converge vs Terrafirma
7:30 p.m. — Rain or Shine vs Macau
Limited to just one quarter of play in his much-anticipated comeback, Converge guard Mikey Williams is expected to get more minutes on the floor when the squad shoots for an early hold of the solo lead in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup.
Williams and the FiberXers troop back to the battlefield in a clash with fellow opening day winner Terrafirma in Saturday at the Ynares Center-Montalban.
Tipoff time is at 5:15 p.m., serving as an appetizer for the main game at 7:30 p.m. between debuting Rain or Shine and guest team Macau Black Knights.
A rejigged Converge flexed its deep arsenal by beating the Black Knights, 102-94, last Wednesday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
Williams, back after a three-year hiatus, unfortunately, sat out the first three quarters before finally getting the green light to play following a last-minute completion of his clearance papers.
Although scoreless in his first appearance as a FiberXer, Williams contributed with a couple of dishes in Converge’s decisive 14-0 run in the closing stretch for the rousing victory.
The 34-year-old two-time PBA Finals Most Valuable Player will get another crack at showcasing his vintage form especially after spending more time training and learning the scheme of things under the system of head coach Delta Pineda.
“It’s basketball. It’s not foreign to me. It’s just learning their system, learning their defensive principles, just learning how they do things,” said Williams, who was traded by TNT to Converge June last year for Jordan Heading.
“I feel like I’m hitting my stride.”
Aside from Williams, the FiberXers are also banking on another explosive performance from Alec Stockton, Justine Baltazar, Justin Arana, Jonel Policarpio, Archie Concepcion and import Kylor Kelley, who all submitted double-figure scorings the last time out.
But Converge is sure to face tough resistance from the determined Dyip.
Jerrick Ahanmisi’s 17-point third quarter explosion anchored Terrafirma’s 112-82 blowout of Titan Ultra three days ago.
The recent PBA All-Star Three-point Shootout and Obstacle Challenge king dropped 26 points to back reinforcement Ali Mubashar’s 27 in the Dyip’s great start of the mid-season conference.
Terrafirma now has a chance to surpass its one-win finish in the Philippine Cup.
“We’re happy to see the work we put in on our system is bringing in the result we wanted but it still needs polishing,” Dyip head coach Ronald Tubid said.
Top overall pick in the recent Draft Geo Chiu will try to make his presence felt more on offense after scoring only six points in PBA debut although he grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds.
Meanwhile, after absorbing a rude welcome, Macau seeks a rebound win but it won’t be an easy task against the Elasto Painters.
Jenning Leung, import Tony Mitchell and Damian Chongqui will again banner the Black Knights in hopes of getting a favorable result this time around.
Six-foor-9 Jaylen Johnson leads Rain or Shine, which will also pin its hopes on locals Caelan Tiongson, Santi Santillan, Adrian Nocum, Gian Mamuyac and Jhonard Clarito.