Governor’s Cup champions TNT Tropang Giga will begin the new conference against the guest team, Hong Kong Eastern. Can they pick up where they left off?

Catch the game tomorrow, at 7:30 PM.

TNT Tropang Giga (0-0)

Projected starting five:

  • Rey Nambatac
  • RR Pogoy
  • Kim Aurin
  • Rondae Hollis-Jefferson
  • Calvin Oftana

The Tropang Giga are back on the court after relishing their championship win. They will look to capture the momentum and rhythm from that run, but it will be easier said than done, especially against a team like Hong Kong Eastern.

As per usual, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson is slated to be the main man of the offense, and with his skillset and how the offense is set-up, he should have no problems causing trouble for the opposition. He’ll be in an interesting matchup vs. HK’s forwards.

Calvin Oftana and RR Pogoy, meanwhile, will remain as the two main help for RHJ. They collectively provide an attack from inside and out, and it’ll be interesting to see them face a new type of defense. Rey Nambatac, Kim Aurin, and veteran Jayson Castro will also be there, and don’t be surprised if one of them suddenly jumps out to be the second scorer.

Advertisement

Hong Kong Eastern (2-1)

Projected starting five:

  • Cameron Clark
  • Yin Cheung
  • Hayden Blankley
  • Kobey Lam
  • Yuet Pok

After two-consecutive wins, HK Eastern got clamped by the Rain Or Shine Elasto Painters on Wednesday, 99-81, suffering their first defeat of the conference. They shot a horrid 35.2% from the floor, as the absence of primary guard Glen Yang proved to be huge. His status for Friday is unclear, but we’ll see if they’ve adjusted their flow for tomorrow.

In any case, former PBA import Cameron Clark will continue headlining the team’s attack, averaging 31.3 points per game across three outings. Expect him to remain aggressive as he will look forward to a potential scoring duel opposite RHJ. Like his counterpart, he’s in a favorable position on most matchups.

If Yang is unable to go, Hayden Blankley, Yin Cheung, and Kobey Lam will be behind Clark in the scoring hierarchy. Blankley is the likely leader in that trio, as he had 21 and 18 points in their two wins.

PICKS:

Spread: HK Eastern (+4)

Over/Under: Over (202.5)

Advertisement