Phoenix Petroleum takes aim at a share of second place while three winless teams at the bottom hope to finally break into the winning column as the 2018 Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup resumes.
Winner of two in a row, the Fuelmasters (2-1) shoot for a third straight as they face a challenge from desperate NLEX Road Warriors (0-3) at 4:30 p.m. in the initial offering at the Alonte Sports Arena in Biñan, Laguna.
In the nightcap, Barangay Ginebra (0-2) and Blackwater Elite (0-4) swing for the fences when they lock horns at 7:30 p.m. with both teams facing a must-win situation.
Phoenix was actually on the brink of losing its second game the last time out until its top gunner Matthew Wright unleashed his biggest heroics this season.
The sharpshooter sank a tough game-winning triple to instead lift the Fuelmasters to an 89-87 squeaker over Magnolia Hotshots for their second win in the tournament.
Sustaining its momentum and winning mentality are the things the Fuelmasters are looking to bring against the struggling Road Warriors.
“The players rose up to the challenge in our last game. For us to keep moving forward, we need that mentality every game,” said Phoenix coach Louie Alas.
While the Fuelmasters are currently tasting recent success, the same can’t be said about their foes, the Gin Kings and the Elite.
NLEX, Ginebra and Blackwater have yet to find any sort of winning formula and at this point, they know how important it is to finally win a game.
“Being 0-3 is a hole already and we know we are in a bit of panic mode. We need to start winning,” said Road Warriors coach Yeng Guiao.