Kings gun for No. 6
BARANGAY Ginebra resumes its bid for a playoff berth when it takes on injury-hit Blackwater in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Fresh from a 12-day break, the Kings will gun for fourth straight win — and a 6-2 win-loss record overall — when they take on the Bossing in the 5:45 p.m. encounter.
A win by the Justine Brownlee-led Kings will also keep their hopes for a top two finish alive and the twice-to-beat incentive against a lower-ranked quarterfinal opponent.
Brownlee, a two-time PBA Best Import awardee, is expected to be inserted to the Gilas Pilipinas line-up pending final approval of this naturalization bid.
Two other Ginebra stars — Scottie Thompson and Jamie Malonzo — will also return to the line-up with their confidence boosted by their appearance for Gilas Pilipinas in the recent fifth window of the FIBA World Cup Asia qualifiers.
Ginebra is currently fourth in the overall standings behind only the Magnolia Hotshots (8-1) and Bay Area Dragons (8-2) and Converge FiberXers ( 8-2).
The Kings, however, have beaten both the Hotshots and Dragons.
Blackwater is also hard hit by injuries to top players Troy Rosario, Jvee Casio and Baser Amer.
With the injuries, the Bossing have also dropped their last four games against TNT, Converge, Magnolia and Meralco.
In the 3 p.m. curtain raiser, NLEX hopes to get back on the winning track and keep its slim hopes for a playoff berth when it meets winless Terrafirma.
The 3-6 Road Warriors have lost their last four outings and coach Frankie Lim hope the game against the Dyip will boost their chances.
The Dyip are already out of the running.
