Here are the live scores, updates, and results of the 2021 PBA Philippine Cup between the NLEX Road Warriors and the Alaska Aces, scheduled on September 2, 2021, at 2:00 PM.
The return of NLEX’s PBA Philippine Cup campaign on Thursday at the Don Honorio Ventura State University Gym in Bacolor, Pampanga, should provide a glimpse of the team’s life sans Kiefer Ravena.
The Road Warriors would improve to 3-2 if they followed up their 108-94 win over Terrafirma on July 25 with another win, solidifying their status among the top eight and increasing their chances of reaching their initial goal of making the quarterfinals.
The NLEX Road Warriors in that said match defeated the Terrafirma 108-94 at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig to earn their second win in the 2021 PBA Philippine Cup.
Kevin Alas, the conference’s leading scorer thus far, led the Road Warriors once again with 21 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 steals as they improved to 2-2 in the standings.
After trailing by three points at halftime, 41-44, NLEX outscored Terrafirma 32-23 in the third quarter to take a 73-67 advantage heading into the fourth.
From there, it was all NLEX, as they stretched their lead to as much as 16 points, 98-82, which proved too much for Terrafirma late in the fourth quarter.
JR Quiahan contributed 19 points, while youngster Calvin Oftana had his finest game of the conference with 16 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 assists.
Alaska, on the other hand, should prove to be a difficult nut to crack, as it looks to rebound from an 80-89 setback to Meralco on July 30 and build on its current 2-3 record.
Gab Banal led the way for Alaska in this match with 20 points on 8-of-11 shooting, including four three-pointers. Maverick Ahanmisi chipped in with 16 points.
With 4:53 remaining, Alaska was still within six points of Meralco, 81-75, but a 6-0 run by Aaron Black, Nard Pinto, and Chris Newsome gave Meralco the cushion they needed to keep the lead the rest of the way.
The last time this two teams met, Ahanmisi came up big for the Aces as they took down the surging Road Warriors, 122-119, in overtime in the PBA Philippine Cup at the Angeles University Foundation in Pampanga last year.
Ahanmisi had a tremendous double-double of 25 points on 4-of-6 shooting from downtown and 12 rebounds.