Rain or Shine’s Leonard Clarito scores off Rome dela Rosa within the win over Magnolia final week. —AUGUST DELA CRUZ
Buoyed by its huge win that put a halt to Magnolia’s excellent begin within the PBA Philippine Cup, Rain or Shine is aching for extra.
The Elasto Painters are hoping to take action on Wednesday on the expense of the TNT Tropang 5G, whose Grand Slam quest is going through one other adversity with Rey Nambatac sidelined by a groin damage.
And coach Yeng Guiao didn’t disguise the truth that the absence of Nambatac within the 7:30 p.m. contest at Ynares Heart in Antipolo Metropolis is one thing that Rain or Shine, which is aiming to enhance its 4-2 win-loss slate, ought to take benefit.
“It’s a giant break for us,” Guiao stated of the absence of Nambatac, who will probably be out for 4 to 6 weeks after getting harm greater than per week in the past in opposition to Meralco.
TNT has been in a great run of type of late, with three straight wins after a 0-3 begin. However lacking Nambatac will additional compound the massive gap attributable to Jayson Castro’s knee damage throughout the Commissioner’s Cup semifinals, by the way additionally in opposition to Rain or Shine.
“It actually occurs to any workforce, however we simply need to be prepared,” added the veteran mentor.
The Tropang 5G will probably be banking extra on Simon Enciso and Brian Heruela to fill not solely Nambatac’s, but in addition Castro’s sneakers on each ends.
But when there’s one thing shiny TNT desires to look as much as is the best way Calvin Oftana and even RR Pogoy have taken the scoring cudgels, and Poy Erram displaying his significance beneath.
Rain or Shine’s younger and gritty bunch, led by PBA Press Corps Participant of the Week Santi Santillan, Adrian Nocum, Keith Datu and Jhonard Clarito are anticipated to match TNT’s resolve.
In the meantime, Meralco seeks to get again to its profitable methods even with out the suspended Cliff Hodge within the 5 p.m. opener in opposition to struggling Blackwater.
Hodge serves ban
Hodge will serve a one-game ban after his harmful foul on Magnolia’s Zavier Lucero throughout final week’s contest that ended up with a 117-92 loss for Meralco at Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
The hard-nosed Meralco bruiser was additionally fined P100,000 for his harmful sort out on Lucero, a play that additionally value two Workplace of the Commissioner employees in govt director Eric Castro and referee chief Bong Pascual, one-game suspensions for failing to improve the preliminary name right into a Flagrant Foul 2.
Each benches emptied due to the Hodge foul, and commissioner Willie Marcial levied the suspensions on his crew as a result of they didn’t get the state of affairs beneath management.
The Bolts dropped to 3-5 with their second straight defeat and 5 of the final six because the defending champions are groping for consistency.
However defeating Blackwater might be the shot within the arm Meralco wants earlier than heading right into a killer windup to the eliminations in NLEX and rival Ginebra.
Blackwater is scuffling with a 1-4 document. INQ
