San Mig, Star clash in crucial duel

MANILA, Philippines – San Miguel Beer and Star slug it out in a duel of hot charging teams while NLEX and Blackwater meet in a battle of struggling ball clubs in the Easter Sunday presentation of the Oppo PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum tonight.

The Road Warriors and the Elite face off at 3 p.m. then the Beermen and the Hotshots collide at 5:15 p.m. in a crucial twinbill marking the resumption of the mid-season tourney after  a brief break in observance of Lent.

The five-day respite from Holy Tuesday to Black Saturday was a welcome breather especially for those who are nursing injuries.

Junmar Fajardo benefited from it. The reigning back-to-back MVP winner is likely to return from a one-game layoff as the Beermen tangle with the Hotshots in a matchup between two teams both sizzling with four wins in their last five outings.

At 4-2, San Miguel is in strong contention for a Top Two finish and its reward of a twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals. The Beermen are right behind the Meralco Bolt (6-2), the Alaska Milk Aces (5-3) and the Barangay Ginebra Kings (5-3).

Star, meanwhile, is with Rain or Shine, Mahindra and Tropang TNT in the middle of chart with identical 4-4 records.

The big thing going with the Hotshots is the momentum of a three-game romp versus the Texters (96-88), the Phoenix Fuel Masters (91-75) and the Globalport Batang Pier (127-100).

Star coach Jason Webb is hopeful they can get going and get better entering the homestretch of the elims and, if ever, in the playoffs.

“You always have to think that you can get better, and I think we still can on both ends of the floor, and make basketball easy for us,” said Webb.

“We’re really looking to get better and to progress in the tournament,” added Webb, hoping they can redeem themselves from their disappointing ninth-place finish in the Philippine Cup.

The Hotshots, however, face a tough hurdle in this Easter Sunday bill versus the Beermen in a setto featuring an exciting import matchup between Tyler Wilkerson and Ricardo Ratcliffe.

Both have been doing their job well, with Wilkerson averaging 34.7 points, 12.3 rebounds, 2.2 blocks, 2.0 assists and 1.2 steals while Ratcliffe norms 24 markers, 14.3 boards, 2.3 blocks and 2.0 assists.

The NLEX-Blackwater tiff is an equally important matchup between two teams languishing outside the Magic Eight.