Atin Ito First Filipino Community Newspaper in Ontario
PHOENIX Super LPG shoots for its third straight win when it collides with Meralco in the 2022-23 PBA Commissioner's Cup today, October 19, at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City.
The Fuel Masters have won their last two outings since opening the mid-season conference with three straight defeats.
Game time is 3 p.m.
Phoenix began its back-to-back win streak with a 111-97 victory over NLEX, before following up with a 101-93 triumph over crowd favorite Barangay Ginebra last week.
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The Bolts are mired at 11th spot with their anemic 1-3 card, a record that is just slightly better than Terrafirma's 0-5 slate.
Meralco's early struggles were mainly due to the absence of Chris Newsome and Chris Banchero, who are both nursing separate injuries. Meralco is coming off a 99-106 loss to Converge.
But the same can't be said for the Fuel Masters, who are now adjusting to life without former ace gunner Matthew Wright and the conference-ending injury of Jason Perkins. Wright has moved to play in the Japan B.League after ending his Philippine Cup stint with Phoenix.
Phoenix, however, has seen the rise of former Ateneo standout Tyler Tio and ex-La Salle stalwart Encho Serrano. Both youngsters are playing well, and have contributed to the team's back-to-back wins.
Tio averaged 21.5 points and 7.0 assists in the Fuel Masters' wins over NLEX and Barangay Ginebra, while Serrano submitted norms of 17 points and 3.5 assists per game.
Meanwhile, TNT will try to strengthen its hold for third spot when it clashes with NLEX at 5:45 p.m.
The Tropang Giga opened the conference with a two-point loss to the Magnolia Hotshots, but have since won their games against the NorthPort Batang Pier and Rain or Shine Elasto Painters by an average winning margin of 21.5 points.
Stone out, Scott in
After getting a 113-87 beating from the Bay Area Dragons last Sunday, San Miguel Beer is sending home Diamond Stone as per the PBA's official website.
Replacing Stone is Devon Scott, a University of Dayton standout, who went undrafted in the 2016 NBA Draft.
The Beermen fell to 1-2 following the loss against the Dragons when Stone scored just 11 points on a dismal 5-of-18 shooting from the field.
SMB hopes that Scott could plug the hole in the painted area since San Miguel star center June Mar Fajardo will be out for over a month after undergoing throat surgery last week.
The 6-foot-9 Scott has played in Canada, Brazil, Israel while his most recent stint was with Mexico's Fuerza Regia where he averaged 13.0 points and 4.8 rebounds in 13 games.
Games Today (PhilSports Arena): 3 p.m. Meralco vs Phoenix, 5:45 p.m. TNT vs NLEX
Team Standings: Magnolia (5-0), Bay Area (5-1), TNT (2-1), NorthPort (3-3), Blackwater (3-3), Converge (2-2), Ginebra (2-2), NLEX (2-2), Rain or Shine (2-3), Phoenix (2-3), San Miguel (1-2), Meralco (1-3), Terrafirma (0-5)
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