MERALCO tries to secure the No. 2 spot—with a twice-to-beat advantage—in the quarterfinals when the Bolts battle the NLEX Road Warriors on Wednesday in the Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup at the Don Honorio Ventura State University Gym in Bacolor, Pampanga.
The Bolts are currently in second place with a 7-2 win-loss record and a victory in their 3 p.m. game with the Road Warriors will guarantee them the No. 2 spot behind top seed TNT Tropang Giga (10-1) in the playoffs.
“Our focus right now is just NLEX and we’re trying to get that twice-to-beat advantage,” Meralco Coach Norman Black told BusinessMirror on Tuesday. “And then after that game, we will focus on what’s next, which is Ginebra.”
Black said go-to-guy Chris Newsome and Cliff Hodge are back in the lineup after they missed the Terrafirma and Blackwater games because of health and safety protocols. Fortunately, Meralco beat both despite being short-handed.
“They will be playing tomorrow after their second practice,” Black said. “Only Aaron Black will not play because of a right hand injury.”
The Bolts will close out their eliminations campaign on Thursday against the Gin Kings (4-6) at 2 p.m. Two straight losses by Meralco will send Magnolia (8-3) to the No. 2 spot.
If Magnolia and Meralco finish with similar 8-3 cards, the Bolts will gain the No. 2 seed because of their 95-94 win over the Hotshots last September.
NLEX and Northport share sixth and seventh places with 5-5 cards.
San Miguel Beer (6-4), meanwhile, tries to secure the No. 4 seed when it goes up against Alaska (3-6) in the second game at 6 p.m.