INQUIRER Sports

ALASKA HOPES TO OVERCOME the absence of Willie Miller anew when goes up against Magnolia Sunday seeking to strengthen its bid for an outright semifinal berth in the Smart-PBA Fiesta Conference.

Miller, the reigning Most Valuable Player, remains indisposed since contracting chicken pox last week and will miss 4:30 p.m. duel between the Aces and Beverage Masters at the Araneta Coliseum.

“He doesn’t have fever any more but the problem is he’s still contagious; we won’t use him if he’s still contagious,” said Alaska coach Tim Cone.

Streaking Ginebra clashes with Talk ’N Text in the second game at 6:50 p.m.

“Everybody is bunched up in the standings, it’s getting to be an epic battle,” said Cone.

As the end of the elimination round draws near, the third-running Aces (9-7) hope to catch up with pacesetters Air21 (11-6) and Red Bull (10-6) to nail one of two automatic semifinal slots.

The Beverage Masters also remain in the running for the incentive with a fourth-best 9-8 slate along with the Coca-Cola Tigers.

But the Beverage Masters, who are coming off a 90-88 setback against Air21, do not exactly hold their fate in the next round. If Red Bull wins at least one of its two remaining games, the Beverage Masters will be out of contention for the semifinal bonus.

The Phone Pals, meanwhile, barely escaped Purefoods with a 102-101 squeaker last Friday to halt a five-game losing skid and improve to 8-8.

Just like the Phone Pals, the Kings hope to sustain their quarterfinal bid after winning six of their last seven games.

“Every game, especially in our situation, we have to treat it like it’s our last game,” said coach Jong Uichico.

At halftime of the opening match, commissioner Sonny Barrios and chair Tony Chua will award a plaque of recognition to Alaska president and chief executive officer Wilfred Steven Uytengsu Jr.

Uytengsu, a former league chair, earned the Ernst and Young 2007 Entrepreneur of the Year citation and represented the Philippines in the World Entrepreneur of the Year Awards in Monte Carlo, Monaco last May 31.