NLEX and Freego Jeans will be hard-pressed to win against their respective opponents on Tuesday as they make a final push in their bids for outright semifinal berths in the Philippine Basketball Association Developmental League Aspirants Cup.

The Road Warriors (5-1) open the new year with back-to-back games against Boracay Rum (4-4) on Tuesday and Pacific Pipes (4-3) on Thursday.

With practically everybody healthy, they hope to keep their four-game winning streak going before their much-awaited encounter with leader Cebuana Lhuillier on January 12, a matchup that will determine the topnotcher of the eliminations.

 “Our immediate goal is to win our first two games before we face Cebuana. We want to be in the Top 2 but our game against Boracay Rum and Pacific Pipes will be crucial for us,” declared NLEX coach Boyet Fernandez.

Fernandez said he expects rough sailing against the Waves in their scheduled 2 p.m. showdown at The Arena in San Juan.

 “With a very good coach and a solid unit, Boracay Rum will be a dangerous team. They [Waves] won three of their last five games. Their two defeats were won games, they just lost in the end,” Fernandez noted.

Equally interesting is the 4 o’clock game pitting Freego Jeans (6-2) and Café France (2-5). The Jeans Makers, who have lost two of their last three games, need to win their last two assignments to stay in the hunt for an outright spot in the Final Four.

 “Our next two games are really important for us. Those games can give us an opportunity to gain at least a tie for one of two slots in the semis,” said Freego Jeans coach Leo Austria, wary the long break could have taken away their momentum and left some of his players out of game shape.

Completing Tueday’s triple-header is the noon duel between PC Gilmore and DUB Unlimited. The Wizards are aspiring to sweep their last three games in the hope to land a spot in the quarterfinal round while Wheelers have been reduce to playing the spoiler’s role.