Two critical games which may well decide the final placing of teams before the Quarterfinals will be played today.
Plenty of things will be on the line when two key matches are featured in the penultimate playdate of the elimination round of the 2018 Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup tonight.
Both part of a three-way tie for the Nos. 6-8 seeds, the Gin Kings and the Batang Pier, both at 5-5, will fight tooth and nail at 7 p.m. at the Cuneta Astrodome to see who between them will formally enter the quarters.
Preceding that is an equally vital game at 4:30 p.m. between co-second placer Alaska (7-3) and Phoenix (4-6), who will be fighting for its tournament life.
So far, five teams, Rain or Shine, the Aces, TNT KaTropa, Meralco and San Miguel, are safely through to the quarters with three more open spots to be filled.
The cast might be completed today, depending on the results of the games.
Alaska, which will be parading a new import in returnee Diamon Simpson to replace Antonio Campbell, needs to win to boost its chance of ending up in the top two and earn a twice-to-beat incentive in the next phase.
The victor between Ginebra and GlobalPort will earn an outright seat in the next round.
On the other hand, the team which loses will be in danger of figuring in a playoff, depending on how the Fuelmasters fare in their game against the Aces.
Magnolia, also at 5-5, is another team that needs to win its final assignment to make a safe entry into the quarters and avoid complications.
If Phoenix loses, it gets eliminated and all the tickets to the next round will be taken.
Should it win, it can force a playoff against either the Hotshots or the loser of the Ginebra-GlobalPort tiff, depending on how the results of the final games and the quotient go.
