Pringle, Kings eye second win
Games today (Smart Araneta Coliseum) 4:30 p.m. – NLEX vs Rain or Shine 7 p.m. – Phoenix vs Barangay Ginebra
Barangay Ginebra seeks to unravel new acquisition Stanley Pringle some more as the Gin Kings gun for their third straight win tonight against a Phoenix Pulse side tackling the lack of a point guard in an expected livewire PBA Commissioner’s Cup matchup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Pringle, who was acquired in a trade with NorthPort last week, showed a sampling of what he could do for Ginebra by putting up 16 points, eight rebounds and three assists as he blended well with import Justin Brownlee in leading them to a 100-85 rout of NLEX last Sunday in Batangas.
Rain or Shine (3-3), meanwhile, aims for back-to-back triumphs as it tangles with NLEX (1-7), which tapped Nigerian-Canadian Olu Ashaolu to replace Tony Mitchell, in the 4:30 p.m. curtain-raiser.
With four more days to get accustomed to Tim Cone’s system, the explosive FilAm is expected to have more impact in his second outing versus the Fuel Masters, who are making do with combo guards RJ Jazul and Alex Mallari taking playmaking chores following LA Revilla’s sidelining (foot injury).
“There’s just so much to explore in Stanley’s game, what we can do with him and what kind of combination,” said Cone.
”Last game, Stanley and Justin played off each other in the third quarter, that wasn’t anything we planned, that just happened and we expect to see that more often. Just two guys like that, like Steph Curry and Kevin Durant, who do you guard? That’s what we envision.”
The Gin Kings (4-3) brace for a tough challenge from undermanned Phoenix (3-4), which showed grit in a 97-87 dismantling of erstwhile co-leader NorthPort last Wednesday.
“We know Phoenix – they are physical and defensive-minded team and play with great tempo. They are always a tough matchup for us,” said Cone.
“We’re looking for a point guard in the mold of LA, hopefully we can find one,” said Alas, who’s looking at the free agency and the MPBL to fill in the vacancy.
Despite the manpower woes brought about by the injuries to Revilla, Rey Guevarra, Jaypee Mendoza, and Mike Gamboa and the suspension of Calvin Abueva, Phoenix found ways to beat NorthPort.
“We’re now going to our strength more, which is rebounding. We got 56 against NorthPort and we have to continue that, pursue that basketball in rebounds,” said Alas.