STRUGGLING teams plunge back to action in hopes of ending their respective droughts as the 2018 Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup continues.
Barangay Ginebra (2-2) and Phoenix Petroleum (2-3) test each other out at 7 p.m. tonight even as the NLEX Road Warriors (2-3) and the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters (2-3) do battle at 4:30 p.m. at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
All four teams are coming off losses and most of them are carrying losing streaks as well.
The Gins Kings, after starting their campaign at 2-0, have lost their last two games while the Fuelmasters are likewise on a similar slump as they face each other to see who gets back on the winning track.
Ginebra suffered a tough 83-97 setback to the Alaska Aces last Sunday. On the other hand, Phoenix bowed to the Magnolia Hotshots, 91-97, last Saturday as well.
The Gin Kings continue to be hampered by injuries as star big man Greg Slaughter was sidelined against the Aces due to a hamstring injury. He remains questionable against the Fuelmasters.
Ginebra will also continue to miss the services of recovering big men Joe Devance and Art Dela Cruz, giving Phoenix a chance to match-up better upfront with all those absences.
The Road Warriors and the Elasto Painters are also bound to miss key players in their respective rotation in their tussle.
NLEX will miss Michael Miranda while Rain or Shine will be without Raymund Almazan. Both will serve similar one game suspensions following separate on court altercations last week against different foes.
Following their hot 2-0 start, the Road Warriors have gone cold, losing their last three games, the last one at the hands of the San Miguel Beerme, 98-109, last week in a highly-physical game that featured a confrontation between NLEX coach Yeng Guiao and SMB’s Chris Ross.
On one end, the Elasto Painters have yet to find their consistency as they are having a rollercoaster run thus far.
They lost to Kia, 94-98, last week in their last outing.