MANILA, Philippines—A Petron Blaze side still short of two superstar big men seeks a fourth straight win against Meralco Sunday in the Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup eliminations at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Cubao.
The Boosters battle Meralco in the 4:15 p.m. contest bidding to keep the lead as the only undefeated squad in the 10-team roster.
Winless Alaska battles Rain or Shine in the 6:30 p.m. main game, hoping to end a three-game losing run under new coach Joel Banal.
Petron’s defense is the main story of the Boosters’ campaign with Defensive Player of the Year Arwind Santos leading a solid stand against formidable opponents so far.
Santos is averaging more than 17 rebounds a game and is the last line of the Petron defense underneath with Alex Cabagnot, Dennis Miranda and rookie Chris Lutz doing a lot of the scoring in the absence of Lordy Tugade and Jay Washington.
Meralco also prides itself in playing decent defense, but unlike the Boosters, the B-Boys don’t have enough personnel to compensate for the injured Mac Cardona and Sol Mercado, who are expected to still sit it out.
Attention will again fall on super Rain or Shine rookie Paul Lee, the No. 2 overall choice in the Draft who has lifted the Elasto Painters to a tie for second place at 3-1.
Lee has shot in twin digits in the Painters’ first four games and has the uncanny ability to make everyone around him look good.
The Painters are tied for second with idle Talk ‘N Text and Barako Bull and remain favored over the Aces, whose superstar guard LA Tenorio is struggling bigtime.
In their first three games, Tenorio was a woeful sight from the field, hitting just 1-of-11 attempts in their last loss. Only Sonny Thoss is proving to be the most steady force since Tim Cone left the Aces.