Martes, Agosto 9, 2016

PBA Women’s 3×3: San Miguel, Alaska triumph



San Miguel Beer kept its record clean with a 13-12 squeaker over Rain or Shine in the PBA Women’s 3×3 Wednesday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Dianne Ventura led the way with seven points as SMB upped its mark to 2-0 to top Group B.
In Group A action, Alaska edged Mahindra, 12-10, for its first win.
Ewon Arayi tallied seven points for the Aces, who evened their mark to 1-1.
Mahindra and Rain or Shine were only in their opening games. Rubelyn Mendoza had six points for the Elasto Painters in a losing effort.


Read more: http://pba.inquirer.net/73730/pba-womens-3x3-san-miguel-alaska-triumph#ixzz4GtdIYudM
Follow us: @inquirerdotnet on Twitter | inquirerdotnet on Facebook

Source:
http://pba.inquirer.net/73730/pba-womens-3x3-san-miguel-alaska-triumph#ixzz4GtdIYudM 

Focused on PBA, Castro says playing in China never crossed his mind



Jayson Castro has tore up the continent in the past two Fiba Asia Championships earning a couple of Mythical 5 selections.

For two consecutive Fiba Asia tournaments, Castro was named the Best Point Guard and such notoriety didn’t go unnoticed.

Inquirer reported that one Chinese team is trying to get Castro to play in the China Basketball Association
Castro, however, said he wants to focus on the PBA and his longtime team TNT.

“Matagal na yun eh, pero di ko na iniisip kasi naka focus muna ako sa PBA kasi ilang conference na rin kaming di nakakapasok ng semifinals,” said Castro Friday at Ynares Center-Antipolo. “Yun yung challenge ng management na makapasok ng Finals ulit.”

The veteran guard even went on to say that playing overseas in China has never dawned on him.
“Sorry ah, talagang never kong naisip yun eh, na maglaro sa CBA.”


Read more: http://sports.inquirer.net/217642/focused-on-pba-castro-says-playing-in-china-never-crossed-his-mind#ixzz4GtcUDDUd
Follow us: @inquirerdotnet on Twitter | inquirerdotnet on Facebook

Source:http://sports.inquirer.net/217642/focused-on-pba-castro-says-playing-in-china-never-crossed-his-mind

Ginebra rips G’Port after losing import



AFTER losing import Paul Harris to a gory injury in the third period, Barangay Ginebra played with a lot of character in the final frame to trip GlobalPort, 93-81, in the PBA Governors’ Cup last night at Mall of Asia Arena.

Harris stepped out of the floor with 1:06 left in the third period with bone reportedly sticking out of his hand. But losing Harris only fired up the Gin Kings as they turned what had been a close game into a very authoritative win.

“We won a battle today, but I hope we didn’t lose the war,” Ginebra coach Tim Cone said as he is preparing for the worst of having to let go of Harris—whom the team spent an entire month with—without a Plan B in mind.


 NLEX also opened up in impressive style, getting a league career-high 44 points from Henry Walker in a 96-90 decision of Blackwater in the first game. 

Eric Dawson had 27 points and Carlo Lastimosa 16 for the Elite, who showed up wearing the late Gilbert Bulawan’s number as a tribute to their recently-departed teammate.

“Paul is already in the hospital with a compound fracture, the bone was sticking out of his [right] thumb,” Cone said. “We spent a whole month [before the conference] with Paul, teaching him the [Triangle Offense] system and getting along with the guys.

“It will be heartbreaking [letting him go because of the injury]. I just feel sorry for him,” Cone went on. “It seemed like a perfect situation—us and him.”

Sol Mercado and Chris Ellis scored eight points each in the fourth period and keyed the Ginebra breakaway, with Japeth Aguilar—who went on to lead all Gin Kings shooters with 21—scoring six of his eight points in the period during garbage time.

Ginebra will not play until Sunday, giving Cone and management a fairly good amount of time to shop around for a potential replacement.

Othyus Jeffers, their import in the Commissioner’s Cup, could be considered.

Meanwhile, Meralco shoots for a second straight win and San Miguel Beer tries to open defense of its title on a bright note when they clash with separate foes today at Smart Araneta Coliseum in Cubao.

Looking impressive in a 108-103 victory over Phoenix Petroleum on Friday, Allen Durham and the Bolts slug it out with traditional contender Alaska in the 6:15 p.m. contest.

The Beermen and Arizona Reid get going in the 4 p.m. game against the Fuel Masters, with San Miguel likely to miss former MVP Arwind Santos in its first few games because of arthroscopic surgery on his knee.

The scores:
First Game
NLEX 96—Walker 44, Alas 12, Baracael 12, Villanueva J. 11, Taulava 5, Soyud 4, Forrester 3, Lanete 3, Villanueva E. 2, Akl 0, Khobuntin 0, Monfort 0, Reyes 0.
BLACKWATER 90—Dawson 27, Lastimosa 16, Cortez 14, Sena 8, Sumang 8, Canada 5, Pascual 5, Gamalinda 4, Dela Cruz 2, Erram 1, Cervantes 0.
Quarters: 31-16, 53-39, 78-68, 96-90
Second Game
GINEBRA 93—Aguilar 21, Harris 14, Mercado 12, Devance 10, Ellis 10, Tenorio 10, Caguioa 6, Helterbrand 3, Cruz 2, Marcelo 2, Mariano 2, Thompson 1.
GLOBALPORT 81—Pringle 26, Sutton 18, Romeo 15, Yeo 8, Isip 5, Taha 4, Kramer 3, Dehesa 2, Banal 0, Paredes 0, Pascual 0.
Quarters: 25-30, 44-47, 62-61, 93-81


Read more: http://sports.inquirer.net/216462/ginebra-rips-gport-after-losing-import#ixzz4GtbnnjkZ
Follow us: @inquirerdotnet on Twitter | inquirerdotnet on Facebook

Source:http://sports.inquirer.net/216462/ginebra-rips-gport-after-losing-import

Team PBA triumphs anew in ‘Old-Star Game’


The PBA Board of Governors kept its mastery of the PBA Press Corps, fashioning out a 113-94 victory in their annual side match in the PBA All-Star Week.
      
    
Globalport owner Mikee Romero, a former La Salle Archer and now member of the House of Representatives, continued to be the lead force of Team PBA in the event they love to call “the Other All-Star Game” or the “Old-Star Game, pouring in 30 points despite a slight hamstring injury.   
     
SMC sports director Alfrancis Chua, a former UST Tiger, and PBA board vice chairman Erick Arejola, another former La Salle Archer, churned out solid all-around numbers as Team PBA stretched its domination of the PBA scribes dating back to their inaugural match in Palawan in 2010.    
    
NLEX team manager Ronald Dulatre and TNT assistant team manager Magnum Membrere had solid debuts with Team PBA while Star governor Rene Pardo remained a solid contributor off the bench, firing three three-pointers and a twinner.        

Commissioner Chito Narvasa ably tended their backcourt, showing flashes of his brilliance during his Ateneo Eagles days.        

They missed out Presidential Assistant Christopher “Bong” Go who injured his shooting hand in practice.

With tremendous boost from debuting players Cedelf Tupas and Jerome Lagunzad and old mainstay Nelson Beltran, the Scribes set the pace in the first quarter and fought the PBA officials in a toe-to-toe battle through the next to periods.

Team PBA pulled away in the fourth as the inroads of fatigue took its toll on the eight-man Scribes.
Chua and Arejola fired 18 points each while Membrere and Pardo chipped in 12 and 11, respectively for Team PBA handled by PBA media chief Willie Marcial.

Tupas top scored for the Scribes with 27, with Beltran and Arloune Miguel contributed 17 points apiece.
The scores:

PBA board 113 – Romero 30, Chua 18, Arejola 18, Membrere 12, Pardo 11, Dulatre 9, Sy 6, Cabarles 4, Villavicencio 3, Narvasa 2.       

PBA Press Corps 94 – Tupas 27, Beltran 17, Miguel 17, Lagunzad 15, Terrado 8, Mangonon 6, Galvez 2, Leongson 2.        
Quarterscores: 28-29, 53-49, 84-72, 113-94


Read more: http://pba.inquirer.net/73897/team-pba-triumphs-anew-in-old-star-game#ixzz4Gtb2Twac
Follow us: @inquirerdotnet on Twitter | inquirerdotnet on Facebook

Source:http://pba.inquirer.net/73897/team-pba-triumphs-anew-in-old-star-game

Player of the Week: Agovida rewards Mahindra’s trust



Keith Agovida repaid the trust given to him by Mahindra assistant coach Chris Gavina with a breakout performance against powerhouse Alaska last Wednesday in the PBA Governors Cup.

Challenged by Gavina to step up in the absence of injured LA Revilla, the 6-foot-2 Agovida scattered all 11 of his points in the second half, helping the Enforcer overhaul a 16-point deficit en route to a thrilling 101-95 win over the Aces.

The former Arellano University gunner said the trade during the conference break from Blackwater to Mahindra challenged him to work on his game further in the hope of earning his spot at the Enforcer.

“Focused lang ako (during the conference break) kasi nung na-trade ako ng Blackwater, sabi ko sa sarili ko, kailangan ko i-improve yung sarili ko para sa susunod na games, mailabas ko ang laro ko,” the 26-year-old Agovida said.

Agovida’s scintillating effort in just 16 minutes of action earned him a first-ever Accel-PBA Press Corps Player of the Week for the period of Aug. 1-7, beating established PBA stars led by TNT’s Jayson Castro, Mahindra teammates KG Canaleta and Aldrech Ramos as well as Katropa rookie Troy Rosario.

The win stretched Mahindra’s franchise-best start to 4-0, tying tournament favorite TNT on top of the standings.

The Enforcer will shoot for a fifth straight win on Friday when they face Phoenix Fuel Masters.
Agovida is best remembered for dropping 82 points for the JRU Light Bombers during the 2008 NCAA junior basketball tournament. RD


Read more: http://pba.inquirer.net/73958/player-of-the-week-agovida-rewards-mahindras-trust#ixzz4GtaGeVQa
Follow us: @inquirerdotnet on Twitter | inquirerdotnet on Facebook

Source:http://pba.inquirer.net/73958/player-of-the-week-agovida-rewards-mahindras-trust

Fajardo’s guard-like skills don’t surprise Austria


 If there’s one guy who was not surprised with the moves June Mar Fajardo trotted out in the 2016 PBA All-Star Game, it was his head coach Leo Austria.

“Ginagawa niya sa practice yun,” he said.
Handling the South All-Stars this time out, Austria didn’t have to be separated from his 6-foot-11 center, giving him the green light to do whatever he feels on the court. 

“Alam ko na capable siya mag-dribble. Actually nung college, nagbababa siya ng bola pag nagpe-press ang kalaban,” Austria said of the two-time PBA MVP.

“Yung touch niya sa three, meron sya. He keeps on trying to take the shot sa tres nung practice yesterday, kaya lang pagdating sa official game sa amin, mas maraming magaling sa kanya tumira. That’s why I advise him to stay in the shaded area, but you can never know. Sometimes if the time is winding down and nobody wants to take the shot, pwede rin siya.” 

Austria, though, relished coaching in the All-Star Game despite being on the losing end this time, as the North beat the South anew, 154-151, on Sunday.

“Ang usapan naman namin, enjoy the game and have some fun pero play to win. Unfortunately, we lost the game because the other side is really serious. I have to give time to all the players because they are deserving to have at least 15 minutes each,” said the San Miguel Beer mentor. 

However, Austria said that he would have loved to keep his All-Star Game winning streak alive.
“Back-to-back sana ako. Back-to-back sa All-Filipino at sa All-Star pero bawi na lang siguro kami this conference,” he said.

San Miguel returns to action against Barangay Ginebra on Sunday.


Read more: http://pba.inquirer.net/73961/fajardos-guard-like-skills-dont-surprise-austria#ixzz4GtZhhEh4
Follow us: @inquirerdotnet on Twitter | inquirerdotnet on Facebook

Source:http://pba.inquirer.net/73961/fajardos-guard-like-skills-dont-surprise-austria

Brownlee, Ginebra face Blackwater as action resumes



Justin Brownlee can only be meaner and simply better as he’s in town for over two weeks now and has got to know a lot more about his teammates and the PBA play.
The Barangay Ginebra Kings have high expectations on their import as they plunge back into action after the PBA All-Star Weekend, going up against the Blackwater Elite at Smart Araneta Coliseum Wednesday night.

“Ano tingin niyo sa import namin? Di ba magaling,” said Ginebra top official Alfrancis Chua in a talk with a group of sportswriters in the sideline of the recently held All-Star Extravaganza.
The Kings are off to a 2-1 start with Brownlee. They gun for a third straight win and try to jack up their overall record to 4-1 as they tangle with the Elite at the resumption of the PBA Governors Cup.
Game time is at 7 p.m. with the Elite shooting for a second win in four starts. 

Brownlee, a replacement to the injury-hit Paul Harris, made heads turn in a 31-point job before cramping out in his PBA debut. With Brownlee writhing in pain in the sideline, the Alaska Milk Aces escaped with a 109-100 victory over the Kings in overtime.

But the St. Johns alum has since got the Kings on track with back-to-back victories over the NLEX Road Warriors and the Meralco Bolts.
Brownlee delivered 24 points, 15 rebounds and four assists in their 85-72 whipping of the Road Warriors and churned out 26 markers, six dish-offs and three boards in their 107-93 bashing of the Bolts.
Ginebra is right behind joint leaders Mahindra (4-0) and TNT Ka Tropa (4-0) in the team standings also with heads-up games from Japeth Aguilar, Sol Mercado, LA Tenorio, Joe Devance and Chris Ellis.
 The Kings, however, have to stay focused as they could well be up for a tough challenge by the Elite and solid import Eric Dawson.
Blackwater could also be more stable with Asian import Imad Qahwash playing his second game with the team.
The Elite are at 1-2, prevailing over the Star Hotshots and showing tough losing stands against the Road Warriors and the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters.


Read more: http://pba.inquirer.net/73964/brownlee-ginebra-face-blackwater-as-action-resumes#ixzz4GtZIfblN
Follow us: @inquirerdotnet on Twitter | inquirerdotnet on Facebook

Source:
 http://pba.inquirer.net/73964/brownlee-ginebra-face-blackwater-as-action-resumes#ixzz4GtZIfblN 

ROS tries to keep streak going vs Meralco



Allen Durham is all set to flash his old form and get Meralco back on track in the PBA Governors Cup.
Yet Rain or Shine is equally ready, laying down what should be an exciting tussle on Wednesday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Elasto Painters are gunning for a third straight win, but have to hurdle a Bolts side aiming to snap out of a two-game slide.
“Our focus is try to find a way to break out of our two-game skid,” said Meralco coach Norman Black. 
The Bolts’ bid should depend a lot on how Durham, face mask and all, fares this time around.
The former Grace Bible College standout, who suited up for Barako Bull in the same tourney in 2014 and has had stints in France and NBA D-League, powered Meralco to wins in its first two games with averages of 34 points and 18.5 rebounds.
But after suffering a broken nose off an inadvertent elbow from Alaska’s Sonny Thoss in their game last July 17 Durham’s performance has visibly taken a dip as gleaned in his 15.5 ppg and 13.0rpg  norms in the Bolts’ last two games.   
Durham has used the break since the Bolts’ last game July 30 to grow more accustomed to the protective mask he’s been forced to wear in their last two outings against TNT Katropa and Ginebra.
“We will need an aggressive game from Allen Durham, who is now moving better in practice,” related Black, adding his team’s main problem is how to stymie Rain or Shine’s offense that usually nets it 100.6 ppg.
“Our opponent is Rain or Shine, so we must bring our A-Game on defense to slow down their high-power offense,” stressed Black, who is expected to rely mostly on the likes of Chris Newsome, Cliff Hodge, Reynel Hugnatan, Jimmy Alapag and Mohammad Jamshidi to backstop Durham.
Rain or Shine took a little longer break after a 98-92 win over Blackwater last July 29 and coach Yeng Guiao said his team used that period to polish its defense also to be used against Alaska in their Saturday game, but at the moment focused on Durham.
“He is the number one in assists among imports (6.0) so that is a concern since na-i-involve niya ang mga local teammates niya,” Guiao pointed out. 
“Pero if he is going to be offensive-minded and try to score more then the better for us since mas madaling iisa lang ang main concern mo than marami.”
The tactician who steered the North team to the win in the PBA All-Star Weekend also foresees his team doing its part on the other end of the court.
“I was a bit worried na medyo nainip and team and we may have become kind of eager becase of the long break, that it may negatively affect the team,” said Guiao. “Pero sa nakikita ko sa practice maayos naman.
“We’ll just try to maintain our balance in scoring with our locals continuing to help out our import.”
Indeed, Dior Lowhorn logs the fewest playing time among imports with just 31.6 minutes per game, but still totes averages of 22 points and 12 rebounds a night. But the likes of JR Quinahan, Jeff Chan, Paul Lee, Maverick Ahanmisi, Jericho Cruz and Gabe Norwood have been able to take turns picking up the scoring slack.


Read more: http://pba.inquirer.net/73966/ros-tries-to-keep-streak-going-vs-meralco#ixzz4GtYsKHPT
Follow us: @inquirerdotnet on Twitter | inquirerdotnet on Facebook

Source:http://pba.inquirer.net/73966/ros-tries-to-keep-streak-going-vs-meralco

2016 Governors’ Cup Preview: Barangay Ginebra Kings vs Blackwater Elite



– Ginebra has won each game they’ve played against Blackwater so far this season, and they definitely want to complete a season sweep of the Elite by beating them here. Pero tuluyan bang magpapalampaso ang Elite sa Gin Kings? That’s the question Blackwater wants to answer in this game, and, for sure, they’ll try to get one back against Ginebra.
– Justin Brownlee has been a very solid import for Ginebra since coming in to replace Paul Harris. He has led the Kings to two wins in their last three games, and has been pretty much a force of nature. Sol Mercado and Japeth Aguilar have also been critical in Ginebra’s strong start to the conference, and both will surely continue to play major roles as they try to get their third straight win.
– Blackwater, meanwhile, hasn’t been able to string together back-to-back wins. They started the conference with a loss to NLEX before bouncing back against Star and then getting tripped again after losing to ROS. Now, they’ll try to recover against Ginebra, and they better recover because a loss here will bump Blackwater further down the standings and make the road to the quarterfinals that much harder.
1. BROWNLEE’S BRILLIANCE
– Brownlee scored 26 points and handed out 6 assists in Ginebra’s last game, and that was actually his worst outing already this conference. He remains a very strong import for the Kings — someone who can do pretty much everything, and they’ll continue to heavily rely on him against the Elite.
vs Meralco: 26pts, 3rebs, 6asts, 1stl, 1blk, 2 triples, 10/16 FGs.
Stats: 27.0ppg, 10.3rpg, 3.7apg, 1.3spg, 1.0bpg, 2.0 triples per game, 51.6 FG%.
2. MERCADO MAKES IT HAPPEN
– Sol Mercado struggled in Ginebra’s game against NLEX, but he bounced back well against Meralco. Mercado has really given Ginebra a huge lift this conference, especially compared to his production in the Commissioner’s Cup. If he continues to be among the team’s leaders, Ginebra should be in great shape despite missing Greg Slaughter.
vs Meralco: 19pts, 2rebs, 4asts, 1stl, 3 triples, 833 FG%.
Stats in Commissioner’s Cup: 6.1ppg, 2.5rpg, 2.1apg, 29.8 3pt%, 37.2 FG%
Stats in Governors’ Cup: 14.0ppg, 2.5rpg, 3.8apg, 45.5 3pt%, 60.6 FG%
3. GINEBRA: HOLE IN THE MIDDLE
– Despite winning against Meralco, one glaring weakness in Ginebra’s game was its interior defense. The Kings gave up 52 inside points to Meralco in that game as opposed to scoring just 38 of their own. Even without Greg Slaughter, Ginebra has enough bigs to try and make life harder in the paint, and we’ll see if they can do just that here against Blackwater.
Last game: 
Pts in the Paint – Ginebra 38, Meralco 52
Durham – 14pts
Hodge – 14pts
Newsome – 8pts
Hugnatan – 8pts
Jamshidi – 6pts
4. OFFENSIVE FUTILITY
– Blackwater just finds it difficulty to be offensively potent. Despite having good scorers like Eric Dawson, Reil Cervantes, and Carlo Lastimosa, the Elite just haven’t been able to be consistently effective on the offensive end. That certainly has to change here as the Gin Kings will not be shy about pouncing on Blackwater’s offensive woes.
vs ROS: 
FG% – 37/98 – 37.8%
3pt% – 3/17 – 17.6%
Eric Dawson – 5/17 FGs
Reil Cervantes – 6/16 FGs
Kyle Pascual – 2/7 FGs
5. DAMPENED DAWSON
– Eric Dawson has been doing a lot of things for Blackwater, but what they really need him to do is score a lot. He’s been having a hard time doing that based on Blackwater’s last two games, and he’s definitely due for a breakout. If he does that here, Ginebra could be in trouble.
First game: 27pts, 17rebs, 3asts, 2stls, 4blks, 11/18 FGs.
Last 2 games: 14.0ppg, 18.0rpg, 4.5apg, 2.0spg, 4.0bpg, 10/30 FGs.
6. NAWALA SI CANADA
– Jerick CaƱada broke out in a big way in Blackwater’s win over Star, but he laid a big fat egg in their loss to ROS. He is an integral part of Blackwater’s backcourt, and they cannot afford for him to be unproductive. He has to assert himself on both ends or else Blackwater may get left behind early.
First 2 games: 9.5ppg, 1.5rpg, 2.0apg, 1.0spg, 2.5 triples per game, 77.8 FG%
Last game: 0pts, 3rebs, 1ast, 0/2 FGs.
7. KEY MATCH-UP: JAPETH AGUILAR X JP ERRAM
– Both Aguilar and Erram are tall, long, and athletic big men, and their match up should be one to watch here. Japeth has been solid this conference, filling in for Greg Slaughter, while Erram has picked up his production after a disappointing first game. Whoever can assert himself in the paint here should give his team a big boost.
Aguilar last game: 15pts, 6rebs, 2asts, 1blk, 1 triple, 7/9 FGs.
Erram last game: 16pts, 6rebs, 2asts, 2blks, 6/12 FGs.
Aguilar stats: 14.8ppg, 4.5rpg, 1.5apg, 1.3bpg, 64.9 FG%
Erram stats: 11.0ppg, 4.3rpg, 1.7apg, 1.3bpg, 48.0 FG%


Read more: http://pba.inquirer.net/73968/2016-governors-cup-preview-barangay-ginebra-kings-vs-blackwater-elite#ixzz4GtYSfadQ
Follow us: @inquirerdotnet on Twitter | inquirerdotnet on Facebook

Source:http://pba.inquirer.net/73968/2016-governors-cup-preview-barangay-ginebra-kings-vs-blackwater-elite

2016 Governors’ Cup Preview: Meralco Bolts vs Rain or Shine Elasto Painters


 – Meralco started their conference strong with back-to-back wins, but they have since been tripping, losing back-to-back as well to TNT and Ginebra. They have a shot at stopping their slump here as they take on the Painters. ROS, meanwhile, is coming off back-to-back wins over Phoenix and Blackwater. They have the momentum heading into this match, and they have the chance to build a win streak heading into a tough stretch against Alaska and Ginebra next.
– Meralco played Ginebra tough in their last game, but the Bolts just weren’t able to shoot well enough to prevail. Despite having 14 more FG attempts, Meralco couldn’t make the most out of it, making just 45% of their shots. In contrast, Ginebra hit nearly 60% of their own attempts. For sure, Meralco needs to do a much better job on defense to have a chance against ROS.
– As for the Painters, they did a pretty good job keeping the Elite at bay in their last game. Jeff Chan and Dior Lowhorn each scored 20 points, and both will play big roles in this one as well, but other guys like Raymond Almazan, Gabe Norwood, and Maverick Ahanmisi have to step up as well. As long as coach Yeng Guiao’s wards don’t go ice cold or have a meltdown, they should be in good shape.
– These teams have also split their first two games this season, so this game will be sort of a rubber match to see who gets the upper-hand in their head-to-head. Dahil dito, tiyak na uulan, kukulog, at kikidlat sa labang ito!
1. HODGE PODGE
– Cliff Hodge was a man possessed for Meralco in their game against Ginebra. The 6-foot-6 Fil-American topscored for the Bolts with 19 points on top of 7 rebounds and 3 steals. His has always been a crucial barometer for Meralco, and that will continue to apply here as they face a big and burly ROS team.
vs Ginebra: 19pts, 7rebs, 2asts, 3stls, 1blk, 7/13 FGs.
First 3 games: 11.7ppg, 6.3rpg, 1.3apg, 1.0spg, 46.2 FG%
2. DURHAM STILL DELIVERS?
– Allen Durham struggled with his shooting against Ginebra, but he compensated by ruling the boards, handing out a ton of assists, and playing well on D. It’s clear that Durham can affect a game on both ends of the floor, but he’ll need to rediscover his sharp form for the Bolts to spring an upset here.
vs Ginebra: 17pts, 12rebs, 8asts, 1stl, 1blk, 8/18 FGs.
First two games (both wins): 34.0ppg, 18.5rpg, 5.5apg, 2.0spg, 1.0bpg, 60.5 FG%
Last two games (both losses): 15.5ppg, 13.0rpg, 6.5apg, 0.5spg, 3.0bpg, 41.2 FG%
3. MERALCO: IMPOSE ON THE INSIDE
– One thing Meralco did well in their previous game is imposing their will in the paint. Meralco outscored the bigger Ginebra squad big time in that game, and if the Bolts can continue to dominate in the box, the Painters maybe in a bit of trouble.
Last game: 
Pts in the Paint – MER 52, GIN 38
Durham – 14pts
Hodge – 14pts
Newsome – 8pts
Hugnatan – 8pts
Jamshidi – 6pts
4. LOWHORN’S HIGH GAME
– Dior Lowhorn’s nifty double-double was big in ROS’s win over Blackwater. His size can really make things difficult for ROS’s foes, and if he continues to adjust well to the Painters’ style, he should be even more productive and dominant moving forward.
vs Blackwater: 20pts 12rebs, 2asts, 1blk, 8/16 FGs.
5. VETS NEED TO SHOW UP
– Veteran Painters like Chris Tiu, Gabe Norwood, and Beau Belga have always been reliable, but their production in their previous outing left much to be desired. Sure, ROS, has a lot of weapons in its roster, but having their veterans step up their production would certainly boost their chances of coming up with a win.
vs Ginebra: 
Tiu – 0pts, 0/2 FGs
Gabe – 4pts, 2/2 FGs
Beau – 4pts, 2/5 FGs
Averages:
Tiu – 1.5ppg, 25.0 FG%
Gabe – 6.7ppg, 61.5 FG%
Beau – 3.3ppg, 50.0 FG%
6. ROS: WARY OF SECOND CHANCES
– ROS was able to stand toe-to-toe with Blackwater in terms of rebounding, but the Painters allowed the Elite to grossly outscore them in terms of second chance points. That’s one reason Blackwater was able to stick close with ROS, and that’s something the Painters can ill-afford to let happen again, especially against a team as big and tough up front like Meralco.
Last game:
Rebs – ROS 57, BLA 57
Off Rebs – ROS 18, BLA 23
2nd chance pts – ROS 10, BLA 22
7. KEY MATCH-UP: MOHAMMAD JAMSHIDI X GABE NORWOOD
– Jamshidi came in as highly touted Asian imports, but he hasn’t really been able to dominate yet. He has had his shining moments, but I’m sure the Iranian swingman would like to have a true breakout game. On the other end, Norwood is a guy who has battled Jamshidi in the past, and playing opposite the Iranian star may just bring out the best from the Fil-American.
Jamshidi last game: 7pts, 3rebs, 5asts, 3/9 FGs.
Gabe last game: 4pts, 6rebs, 5asts, 2/2 FGs.
Jamshidi stats: 6.5ppg, 3.0rpg, 28.1 FG%
Gabe stats: 6.7ppg, 3.0rpg, 3.3apg, 1.0bpg, 1.3 triples per game, 61.5 FG%


Read more: http://pba.inquirer.net/73973/2016-governors-cup-preview-meralco-bolts-vs-rain-or-shine-elasto-painters#ixzz4GtXZLzdC
Follow us: @inquirerdotnet on Twitter | inquirerdotnet on Facebook

Source:http://pba.inquirer.net/73973/2016-governors-cup-preview-meralco-bolts-vs-rain-or-shine-elasto-painters