MERALCO and NLEX clash today in a battle of teams raring to get back on the winning track in the Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
After a 116-103 victory over Columbian Dyip on April 25, the Bolts dropped an 85-86 loss to the GlobalPort Batang Pier two days later despite the 28-point effort of Niño Canaleta.
The Road Warriors, on the other hand, absorbed their second-straight loss to the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, 97-98, last Wednesday.
The two close defeats make both teams hungry for victory and imports Arinze Onuaku of Meralco and Arnett Moultrie of NLEX get to test each other in the game set at 7 p.m.
Alaska and Columbian Dyip, meanwhile, try to register their second consecutive victories in their 4:30 p.m. match.
The Bolts found the Batang Pier a tough team to beat as neither squad posted a double-digit lead and the latter just took control in the fourth quarter when Malcolm White and Stanley Pringle worked hand-in-hand to subdue Meralco in an exciting finish.
Canaleta’s outburst was a compliment to Onuaku’s 21 points and 14 rebounds for the Bolts, but their efforts went to waste as the supporting cast failed to provide the numbers down the stretch.
It was the same case when NLEX bowed to Rain or Shine as Moultrie, JR Quiñahan and Kiefer Ravana couldn’t revive their team despite their monstrous scoring outputs.
The trio combined for 70 points, but it all went down to the waning moments when Elasto Painters’ import Reggie Johnson sank the game-sealing free throws.