BARAKO Bull seeks to continue its progress, while three struggling teams are in dire need of a win as the Philippine Basketball Association goes out of town with a double-header in the resumption of the 2015 Philippine Cup.
Carrying an even slate, the Energy (2-2) looks for a follow-up win when they take on rejuvenated Mahindra (1-3) at 4:15 p.m. at the Alonte Sports Center in Binan Laguna to open this rare Tuesday playdate.
In the second game, crowd-darling Barangay Ginebra (1-3) and still winless Meralco (0-4) duke it out at 7 p.m., both of which badly need a win to avoid falling in an even deeper hole.
So far this conference, Barako Bull has alternated wins and losses and its previous outing was a victory against the Bolts, 108-106, last Sunday.
Reserve veteran guard Josh Urbiztondo showed that he still has a lot of gas left in the tank as he led the Energy’s charge in that one with a season-high 24 points.
“The players are really focused now and they are practicing really hard because we want to win as much as we can,” said Barako Bull coach Koy Banal.
The Enforcers are also heading into their battle with the Energy with a lot of momentum and confidence after they notched their first win in dominating fashion the last time out.
Mahindra surprisingly pounded NLEX, 103-93, last Friday as veterans Nino Canaleta and Aldrech Ramos finally broke through with key performances to lead their team to victory.
“The players are playing with a lot of urgency now and that will continue to help us in these next games,” said Mahindra deputy coach Chito Victolero. “The players are really working hard in practice and they want to do more to win more games.”
Even with the arrival of league winningest coach Tim Cone, the Gin Kings seem to remain in disarray.
Just like last season, Ginebra is still struggling to find its groove despite its deep and loaded line-up.
In its last game last Sunday as well, Ginebra got clobbered by defending champion San Miguel Beer, 100-82, in a one-sided defeat.
Meralco is the only team in the league who is yet to register a victory this season.
Though their previous two losses are close games, the Bolts are still having a difficult time in finding the winning formula.
Ginebra, Barako Bull and Meralco will all play their second game in three days and it is interesting to see if fatigue will be a factor in their performances.
This pair of games are the ones that were postponed due to typhoon Lando last month.
Games Tuesday
(Alonte Sports Center, Binan, Laguna)
4:15 p.m. – Barako Bull
vs. Mahindra
7 p.m. – Barangay Ginebra vs. Meralco