The NorthPort Batang Pier is scheduled for a head-to-head game against the NLEX Road Warriors at 6:45 PM on January 28, 2023 live from the Ynares Center in Antipolo City, Rizal.
Note: Livestream starts at 6:45 PM, refresh this page to watch the live game at the mentioned game time.
The Road Warriors wanted to make a high gear as they climb the standing of the ongoing tournament and make a 2-0 blast while the Batang Pier will try to get buried at the bottom of the PBA win-loss leaderboard as they’re currently staring at their 0-2 start.
During the 2022 PBA Commissioner’s Cup one of the ball squads shows a promising campaign was NorthPort as they have that second conference with some winning streaks. Apart from their import, it was their lead point guard Robert Bolick who paves the way to pick up those victories.
At the moment, the former San Beda Red Lion standout was sidelined and according to reports is due to a hamstring injury. However, there are also some rumors floating around the league that Bolick may be preparing for an exodus and taking his talents abroad. Also according to reports, Bolick’s contract is due to expire at the end of this month.
“Nag-offer na kami kay Robert, hindi pa kami nagkakasundo. Basta kami, antayin lang namin hanggang end of the month,” said NorthPort team manager Pido Jarencio.
“Siyempre, pag-aaralan niya at pag-aaralan namin ‘yung gusto niya. Nag-counter offer kami sa kanya,” Jarencio added.
Talking about contracts, NLEX also got their own to work on as their high-profile import Jonathon Simmons has an active working paper with a team in the Chinese Basketball Association.
Despite his personal commitment issues, Simmons’ response was spectacular as he led NLEX to victory against the Blackwater Bossing a few days ago. The former San Antonio Spurs player dropped 32 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists. Though the brand new conference is still too early yet it appears that Simmons has already shown chemistry with his teammates, particularly with Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser and Kevin Alas. The Road Warriors local duo combined 52 points during that outing.
Simmons was asked if he’s committed to staying with NLEX, and this is his reply: “Yes, I’ll be here,”. However when he was asked the specifics of how long can be a Road Warrior, “We’ll see. We’ll see what happens.”
With CBA, Simmons’ contract gives him a lucrative offer in terms of his payroll. NLEX management is aware of that and to make a counter-offer seems to be challenging in order to keep him with the team.
“We can’t stop him, malaking pera eh. But meron din chance he might stay longer (with NLEX),” Lim added.