The Meralco Bolts and the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel will each look to get back to their winning ways when they collide to end the workweek at SM Mall of Asia Arena. Read on for more about these teams and their upcoming showdown.

Catch this game live on Friday,  July 31, 2026 at 7:30 pm, Manila time.

Meralco Bolts (2-2)

Projected Starting Five:

  • Jason Brickman
  • Chris Newsome
  • Bong Quinto
  • Cliff Hodge
  • Antonio Hester

Meralco snapped its two-game winning streak when LA Tenorio’s Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots beat the Bolts, 112-98, last Friday. Several days of rest could have the Bolts returning to their top form, as they face Ginebra in the second game of a doubleheader this Friday. 

Bolts import Antonio Hester had a double-double of 28 points on 8/14 shooting and 10 rebounds, along with two steals and two assists, in the Magnolia game, but he did not have much support from the locals. But another major issue for Meralco in that contest was the 17 offensive rebounds it allowed the Hotshots to collect. 

That helped give Magnolia a considerable plus-12 advantage on shot attempts. It will be interesting whether the Bolts can address that against Ginebra, which is one of the top teams in the league in terms of offensive rebounding.

Barangay Ginebra San Miguel (1-2)

Projected Starting Five:

  • RJ Abarrientos
  • Stephen Holt
  • Riley Grigsby 
  • Troy Rosario
  • Japeth Aguilar

Ginebra is off to a slow start to its campaign, having lost two of its first two games. In their most recent outing,m the Barangay were dropped by the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters in a 110-99 loss. That loss took away all the momentum they got from a 115-85 demolition of the Blackwater Bossing in the previous contest. 

Now, it’s back to the drawing board for Tim Cone and his team. Ginebra import Riley Grigsby had 25 points on 6/15 shooting versus Rain or Shine, bringing his conference average to 28.3 points through three outings. 

The Barangay also would love to see more from RJ Abarrientos, especially with Scottie Thompson sidelined with a hamstring injury. Abarrientos is averaging just 11.7 points on a salty 34.3% shooting from the field. He is averaging 6.0 assists per game, but half as many turnovers.

Picks

Spread: Meralco Bolts (+1.5)

Over/Under: Under (205.5)