SMART Clark Giga City -- Bounce back is the name of the game.
The TNT Tropang Giga have less than 48 hours of recovery time, with the Meralco Bolts having a daybreak longer as they clash in a duel of teams aching to fight back from a loss.
TNT takes a second crack at an outright quarterfinals entry while Meralco looks to go above the .500 mark again in their 4 p.m. clash at the close of Week Three of the PBA Philippine Cup bubble play at the Smart 5G-powered AUF Sports Arena in Angeles City, Pampanga.
The Tropang Gigas have been the hottest team in the bubble until a dampener at the hands of the back-to-the-wall NLEX Road Warriors, 98-109, Thursday night.
The Bolts, meanwhile, were closing in on the frontrunners when stopped by the Barangay Ginebra Kings, 82-89, Wednesday.
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Thus, both needed to talk things over and review their schemes heading to their match - a showdown between teams that settled for runner-up honors in the import-laced tourneys last season.
TNT is at 5-1 while Meralco is at 3-3.
Though stopped in their tracks Thursday, the Tropang Giga set out as the slight picks especially with the game shown by Jayson Castro in his return from a one-game layoff due to a calf issue.
Castro was obviously back in shape as evident in his 27-point game laced by 4-of-8 three-pointers, going with eight assists, five rebounds and one steal.
RR Pogoy (16), Bobby Ray Parks (15), Simon Enciso (11 with three triples) and Troy Rosario (11) chipped in double-figure outputs in the well-fought battle versus the Road Warriors led by guards Kevin Alas (24), Jericho Cruz (19) and Kiefer Ravena (16).
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NLEX coach Yeng Guiao was convinced they just caught the Tropang Giga on their bad night.
The Bolts, meanwhile, took control most of the way before floundering in the fourth quarter in their seven-point loss to the Beermen.
"They had us in the beginning but we just kept going," said San Miguel coach Leo Austria. (SB)
