TNT seeks third straight

Blackwater, ROS clash for joint second 

Games today

(Ynares Center, Antipolo)

4:15 p.m. – Blackwater vs Rain or Shine

7 p.m. – TNT Katropa vs Alaska

MANILA, Philippines - Streaking TNT Katropa guns for a share of the PBA Governors’ Cup lead tonight when it battles a Calvin Abueva-less Alaska side at Ynares Center in Antipolo.

Gametime is at 7 p.m. with the Tropa looking to sustain their winning form from their first two outings and join idle Mahindra (3-0) in the lead.

“I think we’re getting back the fighting attitude that we’ve missed in past conferences,” said TNT coach Jong Uichico, whose wards aim to regain their status among the top squads after landing only sixth in the Philippine Cup and Commissioner’s Cup.

The Aces rebounded from their opening loss with a 109-100 overtime victory over the Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings last Sunday but that win came at a cost as Abueva was slapped a one-game suspension for his action in that outing.

“Calvin brings a completely different dynamic to the ball game so we’ll miss him against one of the best teams in the league,” Alaska coach Alex Compton said of Abueva, who was sanctioned for elbowing Ginebra’s Chris Ellis in a rebound scramble.

TNT itself is missing key players Troy Rosario, Kelly Williams and Matt Ganuelas-Rosser due to various injuries.

“Of course we’d like them back but the (healthy) players are really doing the best they can to help us survive, they’re really performing their roles and play pretty good defense and then we feed off each other in the offensive end,” said Uichico.

Meanwhile, Blackwater (1-1) and Rain or Shine (1-1) target their second consecutive victory when they collide at 4:15 p.m.

The Elite scored a 100-98 squeaker over Star last Friday to get on track after dropping their first game.

“It gave us confidence but we can’t just go out for one win, we still have nine more games to go and I’m sure there’s a lot of competition out there so we just got to build from this win and see if we can get better as a unit,” said Eric Dawson, who hit the winning basket.

The Elasto Painters also hurdled their previous assignment, 106-89 over the Phoenix side, offsetting their previous 98-101 loss to Tropa.

“I’m glad we’re able to recover from the sorry loss to TNT but it’s still very early. I think the magic number his conference is 8 wins to be in the Top 4. We’re trying to make the semis for the 10th straight time but it’s getting harder and harder,” said RoS mentor Yeng Guiao.