MANILA, Philippines – Joint leaders Alaska Milk and San Miguel Beer try to widen their gap from the chasing pack as they take on NLEX and Meralco, respectively, Friday night in the PBA Philippine Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Aces and the Road Warriors slug it out in the more important game at 4:15 p.m. with the former pushing their Top Two aspiration and the latter out to complete the playoffs cast.
A win by NLEX over Alaska hands the Road Warriors the last slot in the quarterfinals, easing out playing coach Manny Pacquiao and his Kia team in the playoffs picture.
San Miguel Beer and Meralco collide at 7 p.m. with the Beermen also out to enhance their Top Two bid and the Bolts looking to improve their record in the middle of the standings.
Alaska and San Miguel share the lead with identical 7-1 win-loss records, a game ahead of third-running Rain or Shine (6-2) and two games in front of joint third placers Barangay Ginebra (5-3), Talk n Text (5-3) and Purefoods Star (5-3).
The Aces and the Beermen are determined to make the Top Two and get an automatic passage into the Final Four.
The Bolts, meanwhile, hope to be steadier so they can still make a run at a Top Four finish.
Coach Norman Black and the Bolts are currently at seventh place at 4-4, two full games behind the Elasto Painters and a game off the Gin Kings, the Tropang Texters and the Hotshots.
All these teams hope to at least make the Top Four to gain outright semis passage (for the Top Two) or secure a twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals (for the third and fourth placers).
Austria is confident they’re cinch to be in the Top Two, believing only Talk n Text is the big stumbling block ahead of them in the elims.
“We’re fortunate we have lighter games ahead of us than Alaska, Rain or Shine and Ginebra which will figure in a virtual round-robin phase,” said Austria.
Meralco, meanwhile, has San Miguel Beer, Kia and Globalport for its last three games in the elims.
The good news for the Bolts is that they’re safe in the Top Eight, meaning they will not face a foe with a twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals.