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Manila Bulletin devider Sports devider Basketball devider Twice-to-beat NLEX, Meralco eye quick work of QF foes

Twice-to-beat NLEX, Meralco eye quick work of QF foes

Published May 12, 2026 02:47 pm

At A Glance

  • Twice-to-beat teams NLEX and Meralco are looking to make quick work of their quarterfinals foes as the PBA Season 50 Commissioner's Cup playoffs fire off on Wednesday, May 13 at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium


Twice-to-beat teams NLEX and Meralco are looking to make quick work of their quarterfinals foes as the PBA Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup playoffs fire off on Wednesday, May 13, at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

Eager to prove that their top seed finish in the eliminations is no fluke, the Road Warriors take on the eighth seed TNT Tropang 5G in the first offering at 5:15 p.m. 

The Bolts, on the other hand, aim to exact their revenge against the Magnolia Hotshots in the second game at 7:30 p.m. – three days after their elimination meeting.

Pressure, however, is bigger for the side for NLEX especially that itwill be facing the best scoring import of this year’s batch in TNT's towering center Bol Bol.

But there are no plans for the Road Warriors to waste the opportunity even against a champion-caliber team like the Tropang 5G.

“We’re happy to finish at number one. But we’re not done yet,” said NLEX head coach Jong Uichico. “We need to put in more work to get to where we want to be.”

But TNT defeated NLEX, 107-93, in their lone elimination meeting — a contest where Bol dropped 40 points and 15 rebounds.

And that should be the point of focus for the Road Warriors: to cut the 7-foot-3 center down to size – a job that should be given to their own prolific import Cady Lalanne. 

On the offense, Robert Bolick should be at the forefront of the attack along with his young supporting cast in Schonny Winston, LJay Gonzales and Xyrus Torres.

Meanwhile, Meralco is hoping to dispatch Magnolia after suffering a 93-76 defeat in their last meeting.

In that contest, Clint Chapman led the charge for the Hotshots but had solid contributions from veterans Paul Lee and Mark Barroca. Magnolia is also entering the playoffs on a three-game winning run and seemingly peaking just right in time.

But the Bolts, on the other hand, have the ever reliable Marvin Jones to depend on along with local stars like Chris Newsome, Bong Quinto and CJ Casino.

Related Tags

PBA PBA Commissioner\'s Cup Magnolia Hotshots NLEX Road Warriors
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