RED-HOT NLEX is already in the playoffs, but the team has no plans of slowing down as it eyes another win against Titan Ultra in the PBA Season 50 Governors’ Cup on Wednesday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
Carrying a tournament-best 8-2 card, the Jimmy Alapag-coached Road Warriors take on the Giant Risers at 7:30 p.m.
The second game scheduled at 5:15 p.m. features Group A second-running San Miguel Beer (SMB), which faces an embattled Terrafirma.
While the league went on a seven-week break to give way to Gilas’ international tournaments, NLEX managed to stay sharp and focus.
The long conference hiatus also allowed the Road Warriors more time to integrate new import Deonte Burton, who stepped in to take the spot of DeQuan Jones.
Jones bowed out last August with a conference-ending right leg injury.
Burton debuted in style at the resumption of the tournament last Oct. 7, scoring 22 points, grabbing 14 rebounds, issuing eight assists and pulling off six steals in just 24 minutes — as NLEX clobbered Macao, 138-78.
That 60-point victory marked the largest winning margin ever in league history.
The Road Warriors are humming and they are dead set at securing another victory that will move them closer to the No. 1 seed.
Meanwhile, San Miguel will look to bounce back from a 116-98 beating at the hands of TNT last week.
The Beermen clash with a Dyip side that is also trying to stay alive for a playoff spot with another win.
Terrafirma is coming off a 146-127 smothering of Macao in a game that saw Juami Tiongson sizzle for 30 points on 7-of-10 shooting from three-point zone.
Tiongson hopes to carry with him the same hot hands against SMB, the team that shipped him back to Terrafirma as part of a trade to acquire three-point king Jerrick Ahanmisi.
At 4-6, the Dyip are still in the hunt for a spot in the postseason.
A loss can be fatal for Terrafirma, which is why Tiongson, along with this season’s top rookie pick Geo Chiu and Justin Strings, will try to lead the way.
Terrafirma gave SMB a solid fight before surrendering a 109-104 decision in their first meeting.
