The Blackwater Bossing will go for their second win, but getting that is going to be easier said than done, even against the winless Meralco Bolts. Will Meralco break into the win column finally? Or, will Blackwater keep it going and secure a 2-0 record to start the conference?

Catch this game live on Wednesday,  October 15, 2025 at 6:15 pm, Manila time.

Meralco Bolts (0-2)

Projected Starting Five:

  • Chris Banchero
  • CJ Cansino
  • Bong Quinto
  • Cliff Hodge
  • Brandon Bates

The Bolts are still in search of their first win in the conference. But while they are winless through two games, they were competitive in both losses, where they fell short by just a combined margin of five points. 

In Meralco’s latest outing, it suffered a 96-95 overtime loss at the hands of the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters last Saturday at Ynares Center in Montalban. Donning their new uniforms, the Bolts got 18 points apiece from Bong Quinto and CJ Cansino, but they shot just 13-for-36 from the field. Chris Newsome added 12 points off the bench, but took 13 shots to get there. 

As a team, the Bolts posted a 35.4 field goal percentage. The inefficiency of Meralco’s guards and wing players on offense took a serious toll on the team against the Elasto Painters,  but there could be a major turnaround for the Bolts on that front this Wednesday against Blackwater, a team they crushed in the previous conference via a 103-85 rout.

Blackwater Bossing (1-0)

Projected Starting Five:

  • RK Ilagan
  • Dalph Panopio 
  • Troy Mallillin
  • Christian David
  • Bradwyn Guinto

The Bossing got off to a nice start to their campaign, as they clobbered the Terrafirma Dyip last Friday in Montalban, 107-87. There are many great takeaways to be had for Blackwater from that win, notwithstanding the fact that it was against a perennially bad club. 

For one, Bossing rookie Dalph Panopio looked solid right away. In his PBA debut, Panopio scored 13 points and added six rebounds with four assists, two steals and a block in an all-around flex. Despite missing star Sedrick Barefield, Blackwater didn’t have issues in getting buckets. RK Ilagan had 22 points and two 3-pointers, while Christian David had 24 points with two triples and a 4-pointer. 

There is a chance that Barefield could return to action and make his conference debut this Wednesday, which sounds like more headaches to deal with for the struggling Bolts.  Either way, Blackwater appears to have solid playmakers and good perimeter threats to lead the way against Meralco.

Picks

Spread: Meralco (-5.5)

Over/Under: Under (189.5)