Meralco and GlobalPort seek new year turnabout REDEMPTION
THE Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) returns to action today after the holiday break with a Philippine Cup double-header at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City, including a duel between two skidding teams.
Right smack in a losing skein, the Meralco Bolts and GlobalPort Batang Pier try to wiggle out of their stupor as 2017 PBA festivities start, facing each other in the opener at 4:15 p.m.
The Bolts (2-4) have lost three straight after going 2-1 in their first three games while the Batang Pier (3-3) have bowed in their last two games, negating their strong 3-1 start to the season-opening PBA tournament.
Meralco’s latest loss came at the hands of the defending champions San Miguel Beermen on the final PBA playdate of 2016 on Dec. 28, 101-86.
The loss left Meralco coach Norman Black ruing lost opportunities while also urging his team to play “with a sense of urgency” lest they find themselves taking an early vacation.
Sophomore and last year’s rookie of the year Chris Newsome is pacing the Bolts with averages of 15.2 points, nine rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.2 steals per game.
Rookie and Gilas cadet member Ed Daquioag has been good for 11.8 points and 2.8 rebounds while veteran Cliff Hodge is tallying 11.7 points, 9.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists.
GlobalPort, for its part, is out for redemption in its return after it blew what was a won game for it last time around.
Leading by as many as 26 points in the fourth period, the Batang Pier sputtered in the end against the Phoenix Petroleum Fuel Masters on Dec. 28 to get the rug pulled from under them, 101-99.
The team pointed to its inability to hold its defense up to the end as a culprit to its collapse and underscored it has to shape up in that department if it is to contend down the line.
Previous to that, Batang Pier fell to the Blackwater Elite, 99-91.
Terrence Romeo is bannering GlobalPort’s campaign with a league- leading 27- point average to go along with 5.3 assists and 1.5 steals.
Backcourt mate Stanley Pringle has been chipping in 17.3 points, 3.2 assists and 5.2 rebounds while JR Quiñahan is norming 11.3 points and 9.5 rebounds.
Set to face in the main game at 7 p.m. are league-leading San Miguel (51) and improving Blackwater (4-3).
The Beermen have won back- to- back entering the match albeit will be playing sans point guard Alex Cabagnot, who broke his nose in their last game.
Blackwater, on the other hand, won in its last game and is out to get another victory to boost its assault on a top-two finish in the elimination round. Meanwhile, the PBA goes on the road tomorrow with the TNT KaTropa ( 4- 2) taking on the bottom-dwelling NLEX Road Warriors (1-5) in a 5 p.m. joust in Angeles City, Pampanga. THE MERALCO BOLTS, losers of their last three games in the ongoing PBA Philippine Cup, try to start 2017 on a positive note with a win today against also-skidding GlobalPort Batang Pier.