It's win or go home for Alaska and Meralco.
The Aces and the Bolts dispute the final ticket for the quarterfinals as they go all-out in their do-or-die playoff for No. 8 in the 2019 Philippine Basketball Commissioner’s Cup.
The winner-take-all duel is slated at 7 p.m. at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City today.
The victor advances to complete the cast of the quarterfinals and face top seed TNT KaTropa.
Alaska and Meralco, along with Phoenix, ended up tied for No. 8 at the end of the eliminations with their 4-7 marks.
Due to superior quotient, the Aces and the Bolts earned the right to face each other for the last playoffs berth while the Fuel Masters got the boot.
The Bolts shocked San Miguel Beer, 95-91, last Wednesday to earn this shot against the Aces.
Except for the No. 8 seed, everything else is settled for the quarterfinals.
TNT KaTropa (No. 1), NorthPort (No. 2), Blackwater (No. 3) Barangay Ginebra (No. 4), Magnolia (No. 5), Rain or Shine (No. 6), and San Miguel (No. 7) are the seven teams through to the quarters.
The Tropang Texters and the Batang Pier, being the top two seeds, earned themselves a twice-to-beat incentive against their lower-ranked foes in the next phase.
While TNT still awaits its opponent, NorthPort will take on San Miguel armed with its advantage.
In the two best-of-three affairs, the Elite will take on the Elasto Painters, while the Gin Kings and the Hotshots figure in a steamy match-up of their own.