The Meralco Bolts is scheduled for a head-to-head game against the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters at 4:00 PM on November 5, 2020 live from the AUF Sports Arena and Cultural Center in Angeles City, Pampanga.
Meralco pulls off a crucial 89-85 win over hard-luck Blackwater Elite to keep its bid for a quarterfinals berth in the PBA Philippine Cup alive.
The Bolts led wire-to-wire but still had to weather repeated rallies from the Elite who got within striking distance in the early goings of the fourth quarter.
Chris Newsome finished with 19 points and eight rebounds down the stretch, while Bong Quinto added 14 along with veteran Reynel Hugnatan. Cliff Hodge added 11 points and eight rebounds, while big man Raymond Almazan contributed seven points and 10 rebounds for the Bolts, who stave off a last-ditch rally by the Elite.
“Our goal today was basically to put ourselves in a position to make the playoffs. That’s what we’re trying to accomplish. The game was not a pretty game. We had too many turnovers, made a lot of mistakes down the stretch, but we did enough to win the basketball game, and that’s all that’s really important right now,” said Meralco coach Norman Black.
With the win, the Bolts improved to a 4-3 record for solo sixth place.
Meanwhile, with only two scoring in double figures, the second-running Rain or Shine failed to secure a win against the surging NLEX Road Warriors last Wednesday.
Rey Nambatac had 15 points, and Jewel Ponferada added 10, but they were the only double-digit scorers for the Elastopainters.
Now close to each other in the middle of the chart, the Elasto Painters and the Bolts clash in a key match Thursday; each side is looking to push not just their playoffs ambitions but also a desired finish in the Top Four.