THE Ryukyu Golden Kings expect a different Meralco Bolts in their EASL Home and Away rematch next week at the Studio City in Macau.
Wingman Keita Imamura said the reigning B. League champion will have its hands full against a Bolts side which parades a complete roster in their Dec. 13 game at the Melco Resorts and Entertainment dubbed 'Melco Style Presents: Clash of the Champions.'
The 27-year-old Japanese have taken notice how the Bolts gave Jeremy Lin and the New Taipei Kings a run for their money, 97-92, in a game that wasn't decided until the final two minutes last week.
Meralco paraded a new import in Zach Lofton, who erupted for 35 big points and teamed-up with big man Prince Ibeh to form a deadly inside-outside combo for the PBA ballclub.
The Kings whipped the Bolts in their first meeting, 89-61, but the team only had Ibeh for its import back then.
Sponsored content:
This time around, Meralco has another reinforcement in Lofton, while will be having Chris Banchero and Allein Maliksi back in its lineup.
"I want to go into the tournament thinking that we will have a game against a different team," said Imamura during a conference call to hype up the first EASL game to be staged in Macau since 2019,
"They (Bolts) are a team with high individual abilities, so we will have to adjust ourselves to the game," he added. "I think the last game was not a perfect one as several Meralco players were unable to compete due to injuries and other reasons."
The Kings currently occupy second place in Group B with a 2-1 record behind undefeated New Taipei Kings (2-0). The Seoul SK Knights are in third place at 1-2, while the Bolts are at the cellar with a 0-2 record.
Both Henry Kerins, EASL co-founder, and Kevin Benning, senior vice president of Melco Resorts and Entertainment and property general manager of Studio City, are looking forward to an exciting game come Wednesday.
Sponsored content:
"We're confident that we're going to stage something really special at Melco, with Meralco Bolts taking on the champions of Japan, the Ryukyu Golden Kings. I'm confident we'll see another incredible game," said Kerins.(RG)
