MERALCO tries to go above the .500 mark while NLEX eyes a follow-up to its breakthrough win as they square off Friday in the PBA Philippine Cup bubble play at the Smart 5G AUF Sports Arena in Angeles City, Pampanga.
Both ride the momentum of a morale-boosting triumph as they play at 4 p.m., with the Bolts targeting a third win in five outings and the Road Warriors aiming for back-to-back after a faltering 0-3 start.
Coach Norman Black and his Meralco squad beat out Magnolia, 109-104, in overtime Tuesday while coach Yeng Guiao and his NLEX team trounced a crippled NorthPort side, 102-88, Wednesday.
Both were tough victories with the Bolts needing to dig deep to survive Magnolia and its pesky pressing defense, and the Road Warriors having to overcome the gritty Batang Pier and the distraction of a reported first COVID-19 suspect case in the bubble.
For NLEX, there's also the pressure from its slump.
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"It's definitely more difficult than usual to motivate the team because of the circumstances we're in," said Guiao.
"We just tried to be positive as much as we could. We felt if we could sustain our energy for four full quarters, lift one another up, we can still make something out of this tournament," he added.
The Road Warriors would be well in the mix if they could make it two in a row, sustaining the fire lit by Kiefer Ravena, Kevin Alas and JR Quinahan the last time out.
Ravena and his teammates have decided among themselves to help push one another.
"Nagusap-usap kaming mga players. Alam namin kailangan mag-contribute ang lahat. At yon naman ang gusto ni coach Yeng... mai-distribute ang production," said Quinahan.
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For the Bolts, a big help is their cast of young players led by Aaron Parks and Trevis Jackson. (SB)
