Upcoming games ‘do-or-die’ for Magnolia

Magnolia has two more games left on its schedule in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup, and those couple of matches will ultimately determine if the Hotshots will go to the quarterfinals or not.

The Hotshots dropped to a 4-5 record after losing 104-84 to Barangay Ginebra, and head coach Chito Victolero knows that loss put Magnolia in a spot where one slip means elimination.

“We will treat our next game as a do-or-die one,” said Victolero Sunday at Smart Araneta Coliseum. “The good thing is, we still have a chance of making it to the quarterfinals, it’s still in our hands.”

“We just have to prepare hard for our next game.”

The Hotshots are stuck in a seventh place tie with Columbian and will still face NLEX, the no.11 team but still has a chance for the playoffs, and defending champion San Miguel, which is tied at fifth with Globalport with 4-4 records.

Victolero said he would need his team to be focused and work with what they have especially with the injured Marc Pingris still far away from playing shape and a limited Ian Sangalang fresh off a hand injury.

“The effort’s there, but I think what we lack is the discipline and we have to correct that,” said Victolero after his team allowed the Gin Kings outscore them 60-40 in the second half.

“What happened in the second half was we lost our discipline, there were a lot of defensive breakdowns.”