The Blackwater Bossing can get their revenge on the NLEX Road Warriors this Friday as the two teams meet for the second time this conference. The Bossing are armed with a new import NLEX had not seen before, but will the Road Warriors still beat Blackwater? Or, will the Bossing level things between them and NLEX?
Catch this game live on Friday, September 6 at 5:00 pm, Manila time.
Blackwater Bossing (2-3)
Projected Starting Five:
- Kent Ilagan
- Sedrick Barefield
- George King Jr.
- Bradwyn Guinto
- Troy Rosario
Blackwater is feeling royal. With a new import in former Colorado Buffaloes star George King Jr., the Bossing clobbered the Phoenix Fuel Masters at the Smart Araneta Coliseum last Tuesday, 123-111. King dropped 44 points on the Fuel Masters, shooting 12/24 from the field and hitting two 4-pointers. King also had 33 points in the game before, which was a 95-88 upset win over Justin Brownlee and the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel.
With King and Sedrick Barefield, the Bossing have a dangerous 1-2 combo that can give opposing teams fits. The arrival of King also changes what to expect in an NLEX-Blackwater rematch. The Road Warriors beat Blackwater last August, 104-87, but that was when the Bossing had Ricky Ledo, who embarrassed himself with a 2/15 shooting night for six points. Speaking of Barefield, he fired 32 points on 11/20 shooting with four 3-pointers against Ginebra. He doesn’t want the rest of the league to keep on sleeping on Blackwater.
NLEX Road Warriors (3-2)
Projected Starting Five:
- Robert Bolick
- Richie Rodger
- Dominic Fajardo
- Myke Henry
- Michael Miranda
There was no back-to-back San Miguel stunner for the Road Warriors. After taking down the San Miguel Beermen (112-108) in a provincial game last Saturday, NLEX smashed into a brick wall, losing to the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel last Tuesday back in Manila, 119-91. It has been a hot-and-cold trend for NLEX of late, as the Road Warriors have gone 2-2 in their last four games, with wins and losses alternating. That pattern gives NLEX a positive outlook for this Friday’s meeting with Blackwater.
Back in the first meeting with the Bossing, NLEX leaned on the hot hands of import Myke Henry and Robert Bolick, who scored 31 and 24 points, respectively, while combining for an efficient 19/34 shooting from the floor. Just because Blackwater changed import doesn’t mean NLEX can’t drop over a hundred points on the Bossing again. And after consecutive great scoring performances from King, lady regression could wave at him this Friday against the Road Warriors.
Picks
Spread: NLEX (-3.5)
Over/Under: Over (210.0)
