One between NorthPort and Phoenix Super LPG will finally see some light although not completely out of danger as they square off Thursday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Batang Pier and the Fuel Masters slug it out at 7:15 p.m. in a duel of teams badly needing to stop their skid for some relief in their great woes entering the final stretch of the PBA Philippine Cup elims.
The two teams are languishing out of the Magic Eight both at 2-6 as Phoenix has dropped its last four games while NorthPort has gone winless in its last six outings.
Needless to say, each side needs to sweep its last three games to get a shot at a playoff entry.
After their face-off, coach Topex Robinson and his Phoenix crew have Converge and Barangay Ginebra as their last two assignments while coach Pido Jarencio and his NorthPort chargers play Ginebra and NLEX to close out their elims campaign.
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The immediate teams that they're chasing are the NLEX Road Warriors and the Converge FiberXers at joint seventh and eighth with identical 4-5 slates. The distance is almost two full games.
Both the Fuel Masters and the Batang Pier cannot look far ahead, and they're really focused on each other.
Phoenix's last outing was a bitter pill to swallow. The Fuel Masters looked headed to snapping their skein, leading most of the way but was beaten in the end by a last-second heave from Baser Amer, 91-89.
NorthPort has had the second longest slump in the tourney -- next to Terrafirma's -- with their situation compounded by the sidelining of ace guard Robert Bolick due to an injury.
With their dire situations, the Fuel Masters and the Batang Pier are tipped to figure in a fierce showdown in a veritable duel for survival. (SB)
