A couple more fates are still to be settled in the final playdate of the 2019 Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup elimination round.
San Miguel Beer (5-5) battles Meralco (3-7) at 4:30 p.m., while TNT KaTropa (9-1) and Magnolia go at it in the closer at 7 p.m. at the Smart Araneta Coliseum today.
The peaking Beermen, winners of three straight, are already in the quarterfinals, looking for the best placing they can get.
On the other hand, the Bolts are hard-pressed to win against San Miguel Beer to stave off elimination and keep themselves alive for a possible entry in the quarters.
If Meralco wins, it will create a three-way tie for eighth place as it will tie Alaska and Phoenix at 4-7.
In such case, the Bolts and the Aces will play in a playoff for the last quarterfinal berth, while the Fuel Masters will be eliminated due to an inferior quotient.
Otherwise, if the Bolts lose, it will be Alaska and Phoenix battling for the remaining playoffs berth.
In the second game, the Tropang Texters, winners of seven in a row, are looking to clinch the top seed with a win.
Should they lose to the Hotshots, NorthPort will be No. 1 and it will occupy the No. 2 ranking.
Magnolia, like San Miguel Beer, is looking to also enhance its seedings as it goes up against TNT.
The Hotshots and the Beermen can either end up at No. 5 or No. 6, depending on the results of these final games.
Either way, both are safely through to the quarters and will play in a best-of-three series against either No. 3 Blackwater or No. 2 Barangay Ginebra.
Rain or Shine, which is locked at No. 7, is the other team in the quarters.
It will face either NorthPort or TNT, depending on the Tropang Texters’ final seeding.