Aces seek to extend streak, take on winless Elite

Games Friday (Smart Araneta Coliseum)

4:15 p.m. – Alaska vs Blackwater

7 p.m. – NLEX vs Purefoods

Game Saturday (Davao City)

5 p.m. – Rain or Shine vs Meralco

MANILA, Philippines – Alaska Milk coach Alex Compton isn’t looking too far ahead yet even as his Aces may well sustain a perfect run, going 6-0 at the halfway mark of their elimination round stint in the PBA Philippine Cup in taking on winless cellar-dweller Blackwater at the Smart Araneta Coliseum Friday.

“At 5-0, it only means we would not lose seven games (in the elims),” said Compton, not about to be easy on his players even as they’re looked cinch for playoffs action.

Needless to say, Compton and his Aces are determined to get going to make the Top Two for an outright semifinal entry.

Alaska and Blackwater clash at 4:15 p.m. with the Elite hoping to pull an upset and not be left further behind in the playoff race.

Reigning four-peat champ Purefoods Star and NLEX collide at 7 p.m. with both out to improve their marks in the middle of the pack.

Meanwhile, Rain or Shine and Meralco try to boost their stocks in the upper half of the chart as they mix it up at 7 p.m. Saturday in Davao City, the third leg of the Petron Blaze PBA on Tour Saturday series.

While Alaska is the decided favorite against Blackwater, the Purefoods-NLEX tiff is seen as a good matchup.

“At this point, we need our play to do the talking. We just can’t afford to fall further behind the leaders,” said Purefoods coach Tim Cone.

“With a complete lineup, Purefoods is a very strong team. We have to come out with a strong commitment to play defense. They’re a tough match-up for us but if we play ‘D,’ we will have a chance,” said NLEX coach Boyet Fernandez.

The Road Warriors are at seventh place with a 2-3 win-loss card, claiming victories over the Globalport Batang Pier, 101-96, and the Barangay Ginebra Kings, 97-81.

The Hotshots are right behind at eighth with a lone win over the Batang Pier against three losses to the Aces, the San Miguel Beermen and the Gin Kings.

Both teams need to get going now if they’re to catch up with the leaders in the one-round-robin elims where the top two automatically make the semis and the next eight advance to the quarters.

In the quarters, the No. 3 and No. 4 teams hold twice-to-beat advantage versus No. 10 and No. 9, respectively. The middle four engage in a best-of-three series.

Calvin Abueva put up another mammoth game with 23 points and 21 rebounds to power Alaska to an 85-75 win over the gritty Kia side the last time out.

The Aces banked heavily on Abueva to overcome the absence of injured lead center Sonny Thoss and the tough challenge of the Sorento, stretching their perfect run to five games.