MERALCO seeks the solo leadership even as three other teams shoot for their first win the early stages of the 2018 Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup.
After having an impressive debut Wednesday night, the Bolts (1-0) now look ahead to a possible second straight win when they meet GlobalPort (0-1) at 4:30 p.m. today at the Smart Araneta Coliseum
In the other scheduled tilt, Alaska and Rain or Shine make their debut against each other as they lock horns in an expected bull fight at 7 p.m.
Following a forgettable run last conference, Meralco showed everyone that with former Best Import Arinze Onuaku back, it is once again a force to reckon with.
The Bolts started off on the right note after taking a smooth 116-103 dismantling of Columbian Dyip last Wednesday night.
Onuaku, despite being hospitalized for four days due to dehydration prior to his team’s opener, put everyone on notice right away as she tallied 30 points and 19 rebounds in a monster performance.
Meralco coach Norman Black described how pivotal Onuaku is in his team’s campaign.
“My hat is off to Arinze (Onuaku). I’m very happy with his performance. He gives us exactly what we need as a team,” said Black. “He takes care of the rebounds for us as well as the low post plays. I think my local players played a lot better with a strong center in the middle.”
Onuaku will be matched up against the Batang Pier’s Malcolm White.
In the second game, fresh reinforcements will banner both the Aces and the Elasto Painters.
Alaska will parade newbie Antonio Campbell, while Rain or Shine will be backed by former resident Asean Basketball League import Reggie Johnson.