At A Glance
- Magnolia and Rain or Shine look to keep up with early leaders as they tangle against separate foes in the PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup on Friday, Oct. 31, at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City.
Magnolia and Rain or Shine look to keep up with early leaders as they tangle against separate foes in the PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup on Friday, Oct. 31, at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City.
The Elasto Painters battle the slumping Terrafirma Dyip in the first offering at 5:15 p.m., while the Hotshots lock horns with the struggling Phoenix Fuel Masters in the second game at 7:30 p.m.
The two squads are seeking to join TNT and NLEX which both improved to 4-1 records after winning their games just last Wednesday, Oct. 29.
Though their teams have been doing good so far in the all-Filipino conference, coaches of both squads are delivering the same message to their wards – winning in the PBA is all about the effort.
“Sabi ko sa kanila, you're not going to get anything easy or free,” said ROS head coach Yeng Guiao, whose Elasto Painters escaped by the skin of their teeth against Titan Ultra, 112-111, behind the four clutch free throws from Anton Asistio.
“You're still going to have to earn every win, no matter who you're playing," said Guiao as he warned his wards against complacency as they eye their third straight win.
Expected to lead the charge for ROS are Adrian Nocum and Leonard Santillan who are both coming off stellar performances against Titan Ultra.
Jerrick Ahanmisi, on the other hand, will try to help the Dyip snap a two-game slide.
Although they got back on track after absorbing their first taste of defeat, Hotshots head coach LA Tenorio was far from being satisfied on the performance of his charges especially on the rebounding department
“How can we go far in this tourney with an effort like that," Tenorio briefly commented after the Hotshots got outrebounded by the Dyip in their 104-83 win.
Such a poor showing on the boards certainly would not help Magnolia against a Phoenix side which is leaning on the size of Jason Perkins and Kai Ballungay to dominate the paint.
Ricci Rivero is also a big revelation for the team so far as he leads the team in scoring – something that should challenge the defensive-minded Hotshots who also recently added versatile rookie Chris Koon during a trade.