BARANGAY Ginebra tries to secure a seat in the quarterfinal stage, as three other teams hope to catch the bus in the next stage in the Philippine Basketball Association Governors’ Cup on Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Kings battle the skidding Star in the main game at 6:45 p.m. right after the opening tussle between Alaska and Blackwater at 4:30 p.m.
Ginebra is currently tied with San Miguel Beer for third spot with identical 5-2 win-loss slates and a win will put the Kings in a tied with the surprising Mahindra at No. 2 and, more important, a spot in the quarterfinal round.
The Kings are coming off a huge 101-87 win over Rain or Shine import Justin Brownlee lead the team’s balanced attack with 31 points.
“It was a tough one. Nothing comes easy with Rain or Shine,” said Ginebra Head Coach Tim Cone, who has been drawing consistent games from his guards, particularly Mark Caguioa, LA Tenorio and Sol Mercado.
“LA has been consistent for us. Mark steps up. Sol also steps up. It’s a good indication of where we want to be,” he added.
While Ginebra is on a roll, the Hotshots, usually a perennial contender in any conference, have been struggling under new mentor Jason Webb.
Since winning their opening game in the season-ending conference, Star has dropped its last five assignments, the last one an ugly 69-85 loss to Alaska last week in Panabo City to slide to 1-5, and is now in danger of missing the next round.
The Aces and the Elite are the two other teams that are also fighting for survival, as they are carding a 2-5 and 1-6 slates, respectively.
Alaska, despite a 45-point explosion from LaDontae Henton, yielded a 106-103 decision to the Beermen in the game they dominated majority of the way.
Blackwater, sitting at the bottom of the standings, also tries to arrest a five-game losing skid to stay alive in the tournament.
The Elite of Head Coach Leo Isaac lost to the Enforcer, 88-97, in their previous game.