THE Meralco Bolts will have an intact nucleus when the 49th Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Philippine Cup kicks off this Friday.
The Bolts begin their title defense when they take on the Converge FiberXers in the first game of a twin-bill at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
Action starts at 7:30 p.m. between the Bolts and the FiberXers, with Meralco dealing with players recovering from injuries after their recent campaign in the East Asia Super League.
Meralco will bank on Chris Newsome, who earlier led the Bolts in the Commissioner’s Cup with 16.3 points per game, shooting an efficient 52.5% inside the arc.
The Bolts will also count on Aaron Black and Bong Quinto, a pair of double-digit scorers,
Converge will bring in two great backcourt players in Jordan Heading and Alec Stockton, who combined for 34.1 points and 12 assists per game in the previous conference.
Terrafirma and Phoenix clash in the 5 p.m. opener.
The Dyip will rest their fortunes on one of the league’s youngest players in Mark Nonoy.
On the other hand, Phoenix will lean on its star veteran Jason Perkins.