Aces, Bolts eye key wins vs lowly foes

Alaska Milk and Meralco brace for their crucial showdown Sunday as they take on cellardweller rivals NLEX and Blackwater, respectively, tonight in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the MOA Arena in Pasay City.

The Bolts go up against the Elite at 4:30 p.m. then the Aces tangle with the Road Warriors at 7 p.m. before their virtual playoff faceoff in an explosive Sunday doubleheader also featuring Barangay Ginebra versus Magnolia.

Alaska, at 6-1, and Meralco, at 5-2, are among the remaining contenders for a twice-to-beat incentive in the quarterfinals along with Rain or Shine at 7-1 and TNT KaTropa at 6-2.

The Aces are up against the NLEX squad (2-6) now on the brink of elimination, while the Bolts are facing the Blackwater team that’s merely out to play the spoiler’s role. The Elite are out of the playoff race with a 1-8 slate.

The absence of key players Calvin Abueva and Jeron Teng has not stopped the Alaska Milk Aces’ amazing surge in the midseason tourney, going 6-0 after a losing conference debut against the ROS Elasto Painters.

A big key is Vic Manuel who’s been consistently churning out MVP performances.

For the fourth time in seven games, Manuel established a career best with 35 points as the Aces rolled past the Hotshots, 103-99, Sunday over at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

“It’s impossible to talk to you guys without talking about Vic Manuel,” said Alaska coach Alex Compton after the game. “Rafi (Reavis) is one of the premier one-on-one defenders and I have a lot of respect for Rafi when it comes to defense. For Vic to score against a smart, long defender like Rafi is very impressive. It was pretty phenomenal.” Compton also said.