THE Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) returns to the world’s biggest indoor stadium—the Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan—for the Christmas Day matches today.
Barangay Ginebra San Miguel tackles on perennial rival Star Hotshots at 5:15 p.m., with the crowd expected to pack the 55,000-seat arena at the sprawling Iglesia ni Cristo-owned Ciudad de Victoria.
Mahindra eyes its first win against Blackwater in the 3 p.m. opener. The Gin Kings recently absorbed a 86-101 loss to the Alaska Aces a week ago, while the Elite are fresh from a two-game win streak capped by their dismantling of the Terrence Romeo-led GlobalPort, 99-91, on Wednesday.
“We still have our hangover from our championship. We must focus and change our approach to our games,” said Ginebra Head Coach Tim Cone, whose team slipped to the bottom half of the standings with a 2-3 won-lost record.
Star (3-2), on the other hand, found its rhythm after recording its third-consecutive victory over Rain or Shine last week.
Paul Lee, who faced his former Elasto Painter team that acquired Hotshots’ former franchise player James Yap, scored 14 points, including a clutch triple in the crucial stretch, to fend off Rain or Shine, 99-91.
“I think we are getting composed together. The players are giving their best effort in the game,” first-year Head Coach Chito Victolero said.
The Floodbusters (0-5), meanwhile, hope to end their miserable campaign with a strong performance against the Elite (4-2).