BOWLES BACK AS HARDLUCK COFFEE MIXERS BATTLE TOUGH E-PAINTERS
With Denzel Bowles back, San Mig Coffee is practically starting the conference all over again, and the Mixers look forward to hit the road running.
Bowles is reunited with the Mixers as they tangle with the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay Friday night.
“We enjoyed our time with Matt Rogers – he was a great guy who had some bad luck with us – but it’s great to have Denzel back with us,” said coach Tim Cone.
“We have a special chemistry with Denzel that all the players felt right away. We’re hoping that all translates to the floor and we can get our conference started,” Cone added.
Bowles came in time for a tough weekend where the Mixers play the Elasto Painters at 7:30 p.m. Friday, and then the Talk n Text Tropang Texters at 6:30 p.m. Sunday.
“We’ll have to bring our A game,” said Cone, anticipating acid tests versus the E-Painters and the Texters.
The defending champs are off to a scrambling start in the mid-season tourney, losing their first game playing with an all-Filipino lineup versus the Barako Bull Energy before dropping their second match opposite the Petron Blaze Boosters.
Rogers struggled with 7-of-19 field shooting for 20 points in his lone game with the Mixers.
With Bowles completing his tenure in the Chinese league, San Mig Coffee decided to bring him back and not to take chance with the untested Rogers.
“Rogers is okay but Bowles is better. Parang mas gumaling si Bowles dahil siguro more seasoned na siya,” observed an SMC official.
The reigning Best Import awardee marks his PBA comeback with an interesting match-up with Bruno Sundov.
The 7-foot-3 RoS import and his teammates used a massive endgame tear against Meralco to chalk up their first win in the tourney at the Puerto Princesa Coliseum in Palawan Saturday night.
Ronnie Matias, Paul Lee and Beau Belga drained a trey each in a dizzying 17-0 run that the Elasto Painters unleashed at the finish to win, 91-82.
The Bolts were dictating the tempo before the E-Painters hit their stride and went on to spring back from their losing debut against the Alaska Aces.
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