Meralco looks to capitalize on its unbelievable comeback win over Magnolia with another acid test in unbeaten leader TNT as the PBA Philippine Cup continues Friday, Sept. 3 at the Don Honorio Ventura State University in Bacolor, Pampanga.
The Bolts and Tropang Giga meet in the final game of a tripleheader at 6 p.m. which features a showdown between the top two teams of the conference that will enter its third day since the restart.
TNT leads the pack at 4-0 while Meralco produced five victories in six starts.
Expected to come out with a very high morale is Meralco, which pulled off a 95-94 victory on a buzzer-beating layup by Chris Newsome that handed Magnolia its first defeat after a 4-0 start.
What made the victory more remarkable was that the Bolts were heading for sure defeat with the Hotshots ahead 93-80 with exactly two minutes left in the contest.
Even with the win against one of the conference’s top contenders, pulling off another one against TNT will likely be a more difficult one for Meralco.
TNT is fresh from a 96-76 victory over Blackwater that officially kicked off the restart, but coach Chot Reyes has kept urging his team to play consistent for 48 minutes.
Magnolia looks to redeem itself by venting its ire on Blackwater in the opener at 12:30 p.m. while defending champion Barangay Ginebra returns to action at 3 p.m. against Terrafirma.
Ginebra is aiming to make it a three-way tie for fourth with NLEX and San Miguel Beer, teams with identical 3-2 slates.
The Gin Kings hope to play with momentum on their hands after Christian Standhardinger’s basket at the buzzer beat his old club NorthPort Batang Pier, 87-85, last July 30 at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City.
Terrafirma, meanwhile, is eyeing another upset following a 110-104 overtime triumph over SMB.