Meralco Bolts. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
MERALCO’S impressive early form will be put to the test Wednesday when the Bolts put the solo lead in the Oppo PBA Commissioner’s Cup on the line against formidable Rain or Shine at Smart Araneta Coliseum in Cubao.
Tip off is at 7 p.m. with the surprising Bolts hoping to extend their winning run to three.
Newcomer Phoenix Fuel debuts against Al Thornton and the NLEX Road Warriors at 4:15 p.m.
The Bolts are in one of their finest starts but they will have their hands full against the loaded Elasto Painters, one of the most consistent squads in the league in the last four years.
Wayne Chism is expected to rebound from a so-so first game for Rain or Shine, which will likely miss superstar point guard Paul Lee again. Lee is trying to shed off some pounds to ease the pressure off his injured knee.
Arinze Onuaku is expected to have shaken off jetlag after playing two games in five days. He was dominant in his first game but slowed down considerably in the next.
Meralco got to 2-0 by pouncing on the absence of Tropang TNT import Ivan Johnson, who was thrown out—and eventually banned—for rough play in the second quarter of an 88-84 win on Saturday afternoon.
Against the Elasto Painters, the hulking Onuaku will contend with a tall and beefy Rain or Shine frontline composed of bruisers Beau Belga, JR Quiñahan, Raymond Almazan and Jewel Ponferada.
Phoenix assumed the lineup of the Barako Bull franchise it purchased at the end of the Philippine Cup. The team made it past the elimination round despite being guard-heavy.
Koy Banal, who calls the shots for the Fuel Masters, said they would seek at least a spot in the quarterfinals.
Andrew “Kenny” Adeleke, a Lagos-born Nigerian who spent his high school and collegiate playing years in the United States, will banner the Fuel Masters against the prolific Thornton.
Against Barangay Ginebra, Thornton scored 50 points in his first game for the Road Warriors despite being way less than 100 percent. The output equaled his career-high in the league.