Hotshots take on struggling Beermen
Games Today (Smart Araneta Coliseum) 3 p.m. TNT vs Meralco 5:45 p.m. Magnolia vs San Miguel Team standings: Magnolia (7-1), Bay Area (8-2), Converge (8-2), Barangay Ginebra (5-2), NorthPort (5-5), Phoenix (5-5), TNT (4-4), San Miguel (3-4), Rain or Shine (4-6), Meralco (3-5), NLEX (3-6), Blackwater (3-7), Terrafirma (0-9)
MAGNOLIA Chicken Timplados tries to keep the momentum going and inch closer to a top two finish when it clashes with San Miguel Beer in the 2022-23 PBA Commissioner’s Cup today, November 16, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Hotshots, currently on a twogame win streak, shoot for their eighth win in nine starts when they take on the struggling Beermen (3-4) at 5:45 p.m.
The wards of coach Chito Victolero are coming off a 90-80 win over the Phoenix Fuel Masters over the weekend.
As always, defense will be Magnolia’s trump card against a San Miguel side that is coming off a long break.
Currently hanging at eighth spot in the standings, the Beermen look to bounce back after absorbing a heartbreaking 96-97 loss to Barangay Ginebra on November 6.
The Beermen still have a lot of catching up to do, considering the early conference struggles brought about by their import changes as well as the unfortunate throat injury that sidelined star center June Mar Fajardo.
SMB will have its hands full facing a stacked Magnolia squad, which will again be led by do-it-all import Nick Rakocevic, Calvin Abueva, Paul Lee, Ian Sangalang, and guards Mark Barroca and Jio Jalalon.
Meanwhile, Meralco and TNT will duke it out as both squads fight for playoff survival in the mid-season conference.
Game time is 3 p.m. with the Bolts eyeing a third straight win that could galvanize their playoff chances against a Tropang Giga squad that will also be welcoming back head coach Chot Reyes on the bench.
Reyes is fresh from steering Gilas Pilipinas
to a two-game sweep of its away games against Jordan and Saudi Arabia in the fifth window of the FIBA World Cup Asian qualifiers.
“Right now, all the wins we can get are very important,” said Bolts coach Norman Black, whose team will again lean on returning import KJ McDaniels.
Meralco is at 10th spot but a victory will push the team closer to the “magic eight.”
The Bolts are on a tough stretch in the last lap of the elims as they face the Hotshots on Sunday followed by NLEX on November 30 before winding up the eliminations against the Beermen on December 2.
After Meralco, TNT still has to square off with Barangay Ginebra on Sunday, followed by Bay Area and San Miguel Beer next week.
“We’re going to play some really tough teams in this next round, coming back, so the quality of the practices is going to mean a lot, so that’s going to be the focus,” Reyes said, prior to his Gilas Pilipinas coaching duties.