GINEBRA, TNT CLASH IN CRUCIAL TIFF

STREAKING Barangay Ginebra and San Miguel Beer take on separate opponents today, April 19, at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig as both teams continue their chase for the top 2 spots of the PBA Season 48 Philippine Cup.

The chase for the top 2 rankings that dangles a twice-to-beat incentive for the playoffs remains a wide-open race.

The Gin Kings (5-3) face the TNT Tropang Giga (4-3) at the 7:30 p.m. main attraction while the Beermen (5-0) are looking for their sixth straight win when they take on winless Converge FiberXers (0-7) at 4:30 p.m.

Idle NLEX (5-2) and resurgent Magnolia (4-2) currently occupy the second and third spots in the standings and are also competing for the top 2 slots.

San Miguel, the reigning champion, is coming from a nine-day respite or since scoring a 113-110 escape act against Terrafirma last week.

With stars like June Mar Fajardo, CJ Perez, Marcio Lassiter, Don Trollano and Jericho Cruz leading the way, the Beermen are expected to throw their full offensive might against a FiberXers side, whose playoff hopes are practically gone in the all-Filipino conference.

As for the Gin Kings, they are expected to face serious opposition against the Tropang Giga as the league's most popular squad enters the crucial match without athletic forward Jamie Malonzo.

The 6-foot-6 Filipino American wingman has been diagnosed with calf tear and is expected to miss the next eight weeks, said Ginebra coach Tim Cone.

His absence is a big blow for Ginebra, which just last week welcomed the return of top playmaker Scottie Thompson who missed the team's first six games due to a bad back.

Christian Standhardinger and Japeth Aguilar will have to work double time in the absence of Malonzo, while rookie Ralph Cu could see more time on the floor.

The former La Salle wingman churned out a near triple-double effort of 24 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists in the Gin Kings' 95-88 victory over the NorthPort Batang Pier last Sunday.

That game also saw Malonzo go down in a freak accident in the dying seconds when the outcome of the game had already been decided.

"Initial prognosis is calf tear, 6-8 weeks before he can return to the lineup," Cone told The Manila Times after results of Malonzo's MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scan came out.

The 27-year-old Ginebra forward remained on the floor for a while and had to be helped out by his teammates as he made his way to the team dugout.

Later, he was seen limping out of the team's quarters.

2024-04-19T02:50:17Z dg43tfdfdgfd