Aces, E-Painters duel for playoff berth

Games today (Smart Araneta Coliseum)

5:15 p.m. – Meralco vs Petron

7:30 p.m. – Alaska vs Rain or Shine

MANILA, Philippines - Alaska Milk and Rain or Shine break off their tie for the lead in what could be a repeat of their slam-bang duel as they slug it out for a sure playoff crack at No. 2 in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum tonight. 

Third-running Petron Blaze, with its debuting import Henry Sims, and sixth placer Meralco seek to improve their own bid for the post-elims play in the other game of an explosive Friday bill at the Big Dome.

The Aces and the Elasto Painters, joint leaders at 8-3, part ways at 7:30 p.m. following the 5:15 p.m. showdown between the Boosters and the Bolts.

Alaska barely squeezed out an 83-81 victory over Rain or Shine in their initial match with both teams putting up remarkable runs to pace the field entering the final stretch of the elims.

They have vowed to give their best shot as they fight for a guaranteed playoff crack at a twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals in their rematch.

“Top two is in sight for us. Three things: We want to clinch one of the top two spots with three games remaining. We want to better our last conference elims record of 8-6 and lastly we want to prove that our win against them (E-Painters) was no accident,” said Alaska coach Luigi Trillo.

“We had more rebounds, 52-44, more assists, 18-14, more blocks, 10-0, more steals, 6-3, and less turnovers, 11-16, in that game. We earned that come-from-behind victory not because of one non-call (from the refs) but because we worked hard as a team to get the win,” Trillo pointed out.

Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao said it’s a pleasant surprise they’ve got a shot at the top.

“It’s a big game Friday. We’re not really expecting to be in the No. 1 or No. 2 spot, but we knew we’re semis contenders because we made the All-Filipino finals,” he said.

Both teams pulled off stirring wins the last time out as they head to their keenly awaited face-off.  

For the nth time, Bruno Sundov got into foul-trouble but the Rain or Shine locals took over, overcoming Michael Dunigan’s 34-point production as the Elasto Painters stopped the Express, 94-83, on Easter Sunday.

The Aces, on the other hand, erased the stigma of their 83-84 loss to the San Mig Coffee Mixers with a crucial 92-84 win over the Petron Blaze Boosters last Holy Wednesday.

All indications point to a down-to-the-wire contest especially with both coaches saying they would treat the match as a playoff game.

The winner gains the solo lead while the loser will drop to 8-4 and within reach of at least two teams Petron (6-4) and Barangay Ginebra (6-5).

Meralco (5-5), meanwhile, tries to gain ground on Ginebra, hoping to stand its ground against Sims and the Boosters.

“Matching up against Petron is always challenging. We are aware of their advantage in height but we are comfortable with our slight edge in quickness since we basically play small ball,” said Meralco coach Ryan Gregorio.