Alaska tests streaking NLEX five
ALASKA faces an equally hot NLEX crew today with the Aces looking to again wrest solo leadership in the elimination round of the Smart Bro-PBA Philippine Cup at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Both the Aces and the Road Warriors have won their last two games and only one run will keep going after they clash at 4:15 p.m.
Rain or Shine tries to keep itself in at least a tie for second when it battles Barako Bull at around 7 p.m. A win by the Elasto Painters and a loss by the Aces would give Rain or Shine a share of the lead with idle San Miguel Beer, the tournament’s defending champion that sports a 5-1 slate.
The tournament is entering the second half of its single-round elimination, with those in the upper half of the standings tracking a top two spot.
Tournament format calls for the Nos. 1 and 2 teams to advance to the Final Four, with the next eight squads to play in the quarterfinals.
Only two teams, meanwhile, will be getting the boot, and the bottom half of the standings is also as crowded as that at the top with teams like Star, Mahindra, Blackwater and Meralco all trying to stay afloat.
Alaska will be coming off a shaky win over Star on Wednesday, the second of back-to-back wins by Alaska.
The Road Warriors have also been in a zone the past two games with Asi Taulava, the ageless man-mountain, shouldering heavy workload on both ends of the court.
In a close 93-91 win over Meralco earlier in the week, Taulava scored 22 points and had 21 rebounds.
“We just hope to carry the momentum of the win for our tough grind ahead,” NLEX coach Boyet Fernandez had said, referring to clashes with three top teams starting with the Aces, GlobalPort and then Rain or Shine.
Meanwhile, the PBA’s Annual All-Star Game will be flying out of the country for the first time in its history.
Only minor details are left to be ironed out for the league’s 41st Season All-Star festivities in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
A big delegation will fly to the oil-rich emirate for the March 4 to 6 event, which also features side events like the Slam Dunk, Three-Point Shootout and Obstacle championships.
