Alaska aims to stop bleeding
Games today: (AUF Arena)
4:00 p.m. — Blackwater vs NLEX 6:45 p.m. — Alaska vs Magnolia
CLARK — A troubled Alaska squad seeks to barge into the win column when it faces Magnolia in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Philippine Cup Saturday at the Angeles University Foundation (AUF) Arena powered by Smart 5G here.
Action starts at 6:45 p.m. with the Aces looking to snap their back-to-back losses without wingman Kevin Racal, who suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear in the early stretch of this bubble conference.
Also looking to get the monkey off its back is NLEX, which will collide with Blackwater in the 4 p.m. appetizer.
I understand the situation we are in right now and there has to be a sense of urgency.
Despite parading a solid rotation of Keifer Ravena, Jericho Cruz and Kevin Alas in the backcourt, the Road Warriors have yet to get their rhythm as they opened their campaign with two straight losses. But all eyes will be on the Aces.
After suffering a 95-100 loss to TNT Tropang Giga and 81-93 setback to Meralco, the Aces absorbed a major blow when Racal, their starting forward, fell prey to ACL injury.
Alaska coach Jeffrey Cariaso said having Racal in sickbay would be a major challenge for them, but they are not yet ready to press the panic button and throw in the white towel.
“I understand the situation we are in right now and there has to be a sense of urgency,” Cariaso said.
“It’s huge that we were not able to pick up a win in our last two games, but I told them that this is not the time to panic. We have to stay calm and composed because we still have a lot of games ahead of us.”
Cariaso said playmaker Maverick Ahanmisi had already entered the bubble, giving them a big guard who can defend and call the plays.
“It’s hard to lose Kevin, but I think somehow it can still help us that Maverick is there, it will give us a big guard who can defend and bring the ball down,” he said.
But the Hotshots would be tough nuts to crack. Magnolia is parading a high-powered rotation of seasoned playmakers composed of Mark Barroca, Jio Jalalon, Paul Lee and Chris Banchero, making this match an exciting duel of speed and outside shooting.
In fact, these four Hotshots combined for 14 steals in their first win over NLEX, 103-100, last Wednesday.
“I think they have been scouting us as I use two guards every time, sometimes even three guards on the floor. And it’s up to us on how they will defend against Alaska,” Victolero said.