THE PBA Commissioner's Cup hits the road ahead of its 2024 final week, pitting Barangay Ginebra and Converge in a lone Saturday tiff at the Batangas City Coliseum.
It's an exciting face-off between two teams out to improve spots inside the Top Eight and build momentum going to their Christmas Day gigs versus separate foes.
The FiberXers will be up versus the Meralco Bolts while the Gin Kings will be against the Magnolia Hotshots in an explosive Dec. 25 bill at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
In their 7:30 p.m. clash in Batangas, coach Tim Cone's chargers eye win No. 4 in five starts while coach Franco Atienza's wards shoot for a third straight and fifth in all against two losses.
Both in the Top Six, the Kings and the FiberXers are hoping to sustain their drive for a shot at the Top Two and a twice-to-beat incentive in the quarterfinals.
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Minus two key stalwarts in Japeth Aguilar (groin injury) and Stephen Holt (knee), the Kings banked heavily on Justin Brownlee to spring back from a loss, crushing the Terrafirma Dyip, 114-98, Wednesday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
"It was a good win for us because we are missing two starters, two really important starters that have been contributing big time for us," said Cone. "There's a little bit of anxiety coming into this basketball game, wondering if we can match up."
They proved to be a mismatch for the Dyip, especially Brownlee who exploded for 49 points laced with 6-of-11 three-pointers.
RJ Abarrientos had his own torrid shooting from deep, finishing with 18 markers while Troy Rosario contributed 17 points and five rebounds in the game where Ginebra led by as many as 22.
From a win-loss-win-loss start, the FiberXers, meanwhile, roared to a first back-to-back victories in the midseason tourney, trumping the NLEX Road Warriors, 102-91, Tuesday then repulsing the Phoenix Super LPG Fuel Masters, 116-105, Thursday.
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Dropped to an early 18-point hole by the Fuel Masters, the FiberXers picked themselves up and got to within manageable levels with a 33-24 salvo in the second and wrested control with a 39-26 exchange in the third.
They carried their fiery run over to the final canto, 29-25, to complete the follow-up to their 11-point win over NLEX last Tuesday and go two in a row for the first time in the tourney.
Jordan Heading shone bright in the come-from-behind conquest, rifling in 21 that went with six assists and five steals. Cheick Diallo matched Heading's points production and hauled down 16 rebounds as Schonny Winston (16), Bryan Santos (16), Alec Stockton (14), BJ Andrade (11) and Justine Baltazar (13 rebounds) helped out in the team effort. (SB)
