Sore Aces battle Enforcers; ROS, TNT in key duel
ALASKA, still licking the wounds of its worst loss in the Oppo PBA Commissioner’s Cup, tries to get back on its feet and reclaim a piece of the elimination round lead when the Aces battle Mahindra today at Smart Araneta Coliseum in Cubao.
Game time is 4:15 p.m. with the Aces seeking to put behind an ugly loss to San Miguel Beer and notch a victory to tie idle Meralco in the lead while moving within another win of an outright quarterfinal slot.
The Enforcers, on the other hand, are hard pressed to snap out of a three-game losing spell against the Aces, and boost their drive to make it past the eliminations with their 3-4 record.
Rain or Shine, meanwhile, tries to extend a three-game win streak—and do it without coach Yeng Guiao—in the 7 p.m. game against on-andoff defending champion Tropang TNT. Guiao will be serving a onegame suspension meted out by the Commissioner’s Office for shouting expletives at game and technical officials after being thrown out in the second quarter of a 103-98 win over the Enforcers last week.
In a related development, commissioner Chito Narvasa and his technical crew will be reviewing the game tape of Barangay Ginebra’s narrow 102-101 win over Phoenix Petroleum last Saturday in Panabo City.
LA Tenorio had clearly committed a traveling violation before launching the game-winning jumper against the Fuel Masters with 1.2 seconds left, an infraction the referees missed.
“I think LA (Tenorio) shuffled his feet on the last shot and the referee really gave it to us,” Gine- bra coach Tim Cone said after the win, which capped the Gin Kings’ comeback from five points down with 50 seconds left.
Shane Edwards had his first taste of defeat with the Aces after they were bamboozled by San Miguel Beer, 116-96, last week. He struggled to just 15 points in that game and should pick his game up against the Enforcers.
Calvin Abueva is expected to be the sparkplug for Alaska again.
Augustus Gilchrist and LA Revilla are the Enforcers’ two main offensive weapons.