A BATTLE of the heavyweights takes place as two rampaging teams collide Wednesday in the 2016 Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup.
Winning streaks will be on the line as long-time rivals Alaska (3-1) and Barangay Ginebra (3-2) cross paths in a blockbuster main event at 7 p.m. at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Prior to that, Mahindra (3-2) and Phoenix Fuel (1-3) face off at 4:15 p.m.
Both riding high on three-game winnings streaks following failed bids in their debut games, the Aces and the Gin Kings are both playing splendid basketball as of late, but only one of them can keep the ball rolling.
With import Shane Edwards providing a huge lift, Alaska, currently tied for second place with San Miguel Beer, is back to its winning ways and coach Alex Compton hopes the Aces can sustain their run.
“We’ve won three straight and I’m hoping we can keep it going,” said Compton. “It’s not gonna be easy though against Ginebra for sure.”
Ginebra coach Tim Cone expressed the same thought.
“We have Alaska coming up. I hope we can continue our momentum,” he said.
The Aces routed Phoenix in their last game, 105-89, with Shane Edwards scoring 33, while the Gin Kings did the same thing to Mahindra, 104-86, last week.
Should Alaska win, it will own sole possession of second spot and will move just half-a-game behind pace-setting Meralco for first.
In the second game, Mahindra and Phoenix are both in need of wins.
Although it is experiencing moderate success this conference, the Enforcers haven’t been consistent and a win against the ailing Fuel Masters will put them in a better position to compete for a spot in the quarterfinals.
On the other hand, Phoenix has lost three straight after winning their initial assignment as a franchise.
Games Wednesday
(Smart Araneta Coliseum)
4:15 p.m. – Phoenix vs. Mahindra
7 p.m. – Barangay Ginebra vs. Alaska