The PBA Commissioner’s Cup continues later today with a fantastic twin bill over at the Ynares Center in Antipolo. Two winless teams, the Blackwater Bossing and Magnolia Hotshots, go for win no. 1 when they take on each other, while the NLEX Road Warriors will test the mettle of sister team TNT Tropang 5G.
1. How Are the Minutes Restrictions Going for Bossing?
Perhaps part of the reason Blackwater is 0-2 in this Commissioner’s Cup is Jeffrey Cariaso being unable to play two of his best players—Christian David and RK Ilagan—for long stretches due to minutes restrictions, as they’re still recovering from injuries. It might be time to lift that restriction as the Bossing take on the talented Magnolia Hotshots, facing the prospect of an 0-3 start.
2. Can Hotshots Fix What’s Ailing Them?
The Hotshots are off to an uninspiring 0-2 start in the Commissioner’s Cup and have looked lost for significant periods in games. And it’s abundantly clear the Hotshots haven’t figured things out on either end of the floor, which is concerning given the talent available to LA Tenorio. A week and change after their opening-game loss, Magnolia has hopefully found the recipe to playing better.
3. What More Can NLEX Do?
The Road Warriors have started the Commissioner’s Cup with back-to-back wins, first beating Blackwater in a battle in the trenches before blitzing Magnolia with an offensive explosion. So, in two games so far, NLEX has proven it can win a defensive battle as well as an offensive joust. How else can the Road Warriors win?
4. Will Bol Bol Be Better?
Bol looked sensational in the first quarter against Rain or Shine, going off for 15 early points on top of 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 blocks. Then, the chinks seemingly started to show: low motor, disinterest on defense, and poor shot selection. He still finished with monster numbers, but they felt more like empty stats. TNT will need their much-hyped reinforcement to be more impactful than that, for sure.
PBA Commissioner’s Cup Action
Today’s Commissioner’s Cup double-header will be played at the Ynares Center in Antipolo. The first game will be between Blackwater and Magnolia, with tip-off at 5:00 p.m. NLEX and TNT will then clash in the second game, which will start at 7:30 p.m.
