MIXERS AIM TO CONTINUE RISE, TAKE ON STRUGGLING KINGS
Reigning titlist San Mig Coffee, hot on a three-game roll, takes on struggling Barangay Ginebra Sunday, trying to breach the .500 mark for the first time in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup.
The Mixers go for a fourth straight victory for solo fourth place in tangling with the Kings at 6:30 p.m. at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Coach Tim Cone and his troops have just hit the .500 mark at 3-3 Wednesday following a 75-68 drubbing of the erstwhile unbeaten Alaska Milk Aces Wednesday also at the Big Dome.
They’ve gone on a bristling run since the arrival of champion import Denzel Bowles, streaking past Talk n Text, Globalport and Alaska.
Cone, however, believes they have to be extra sharp against a Ginebra side aching to get going.
“Ginebra is very desperate and very hungry for a win. That makes them doubly dangerous. We know we have to be very sharp to beat them,” said Cone.
The Kings languish in the cellar at 1-5 as they play the Mixers at the halfway point of the elimination round.
They’ve had some improvement with Vernon Macklin but continued to struggle, winning only one of three games with their import replacement.
Ginebra ended a four-game slump with a 93-72 rout of Barako Bull then suffered another loss, bowing to Rain or Shine, 93-96.
Beau Belga, Paul Lee and Gabe Norwood knocked in big shots at endgame and Rain or Shine overcame big individual games by Vernon Macklin, Mark Caguioa, Kerby Raymundo and LA Tenorio.
Rain or Shine outperformed Ginebra in playing as a team even after Bruno Sundov had fouled out with 3:09 left to play.
In terms of individual performance, Belga shone brightest with his clutch plays, including defensive stoppages on Macklin. He got key rebounds leading to his four charities inside the last 12 seconds. And he personally dashed Ginebra’s last hope in deflecting a long three-point heave by Tenorio at the buzzer.
For the Kings, going down the drain were Macklin’s 27 points and 16 rebounds and Raymundo’s conference-best showing of 18 markers and 11 boards.
Caguioa and Tenorio added 18 and 17 points, respectively, but the Kings still played catch-up most of the way.
Ginebra fell behind by 10 twice in the first half and needed lots of patience and perseverance in surging ahead, 71-70, early in the fourth quarter. (SB)
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