The Aces and the Boosters meet at 7:30 p.m. right after the opening game tussle of GlobaPort and Rain or Shine at 5:15 p.m.
Alaska and Petron are currently tied for the top spot with 5-1 win-loss marks and the winner takes the solo lead in the tournament.
The Aces’ unbeaten start ended last Wednesday after bowing to San Mig Coffee, 75-68, while the Boosters are on a five-game winning run.“This will be a good match up for us, a true test. This will be a gauge for us to see how far we’ve come as a team,” said Petron coach Olsen Racela whose team is coming off a 91-78 win over Barako Bull.
Alex Cabagnot is expected to suit up for the Boosters tonight, according to Racela, while Chris Lutz will still be out for three more games.
The return of Cabagnot and the impressive showing of Renaldo Balkman makes Alaska mentor Luigi Trillo, whose wards try to bounce back from a sorry loss, wary of the Boosters.
“Balkman is playing really well and Cabagnot is coming back into the lineup, another guy we have to watch out for,” said Trillo.
In the opener, Batang Pier (2-4) hope to snap a three-game slide against the Elasto Painters (4-1) who enter the game with a three-game run.
“It is urgent that we pick up our game at this juncture and hopefully we get a win against Rain or Shine,” said GlobaPort coach Junel Baculi.
“Our import (Justin Williams) should be more aggressive on offense. He must assert his game more than the locals,” he added.
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