TOP meets the bottom as league-leader Magnolia Pambansang Manok and cellar-dweller Blackwater Elite clash on the penultimate playing day of the elimination round in the 2022 PBA Governors’ Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Game time is 6 p.m. with nothing but prestige at stake in this match pitting the Hotshots against the Bossing.

Magnolia is already assured of the No. 1 spot with a 9-1 win-loss record, while Blackwater is headed for another last-place finish at 0-10.

Both teams will have extra motivation to win this one.

Blackwater, which is mired on a 29-game losing skid, is determined to avoid a second straight conference shutout.

Blackwater coach Ariel Vanguardia and his players are likely to go all-out to end the season with a bang.

But Vanguardia knows beating Magnolia would be easier said than done.

The Bossing dropped their first 10 matches by a whopping average margin of 14.8 points.

Their closest defeat was 103-109 against Terrafirma.

Magnolia, on the other hand, is looking to avoid becoming the team Blackwater beat to end its misery.

The Mike Harris-led Hotshots would also like to keep the momentum going to the quarterfinals where they face the No. 8 seed with a twice-to-beat incentive.

In the 3 p.m. curtainraiser, Talk N Text resumes its drive for one of the top four slots when it plays Terrafirma.

A fourth straight win by the Tropang Giga would give them a 6-4 record.

Another victory over NorthPort atthe close of the the elimination round on Friday would push TNT alongside Meralco, just behind leader Magnolia and NLEX.

“We had a lot of lapses throughout the game,” said Reyes after their game against the Bossing.

“We weren’t able to play a full 48-minute game at the level that we wanted. Every time we get a nice lead we would relax and we almost paid for it.”

Games Wednesday:

(Smart Araneta Coliseum)
3 p.m. — Talk N Text vs. Terrafirma
6 p.m. — Blackwater vs. Magnolia