Sister ball clubs Meralco Bolts and TNT Tropang Giga are on a collision course, as they are scheduled to play the first game of a doubleheader at the historic Ninoy Aquino Stadium this Sunday. The Bolts are trying to sustain their hot form, while the Tropang Giga are looking to stop the bleeding and get back to .500.

Catch this game live on Sunday,  April 7at 3 pm, Manila time.

Meralco Bolts (3-3)

Projected Starting Five:

  • Aaron Black
  • Chris Newsome
  • Clifford Hodge
  • Raymond Almazan
  • Jose Mendoza

After back-to-back losses, the Bolts have seemingly regained their footing, as they will be entering Sunday’s date against TNT on a two-game win streak. Meralco defeated the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel just before the All-Star break, 91-73, then took down the Terrafirma Dyip last Wednesday, 86-83. 

Meralco’s frontcourt proved to be too much for the Dyip, with Norberto Torres and Raymond Almazan scoring 15 and 14 points, respectively, while combining for eight boards and three blocks.  The Bolts beat Terrafirma despite leading scorer Allein Maliksi going just 2/11 from the field for six points. So far in the conference, Maliksi is pacing Meralco with 16.7 points, while the Bolts, as a team, are one of the elite-scoring teams in the league, ranking sixth overall with 95.3 points per outing.

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TNT Tropang Giga (2-3)

Projected Starting Five:

  • Brian Heruela
  • RR Pogoy
  • Calvin John Oftana
  • Henry Galinato Jr.
  • Brandon Rosser

The Tropang Giga are trending in the opposite direction of the Bolts, with TNT losing two games in a row heading into the matchup versus Meralco. After suffering a 91-89 loss to the San Miguel Beermen in March, the Tropang Giga got preyed on by the NorthPort Batang Pier Friday night, 112-96. The Tropang Giga simply did not have enough firepower to keep up with a NorthPort side that is averaging the most points per game in the league this conference. 

Speaking of getting buckets, RR Pogoy proved he’s still one of the best in that area, as he dropped 34 points on 11/19 shooting from the field versus NorthPort. He is going to need help, though, as he can’t do it all by himself against a stout Meralco defense. In the NorthPort game, only Calvin Oftana had more than 10 points outside of Pogoy among starters, finishing with just 13 points on a salty 5/13 shooting. Kim Aurin provided some spark off the bench with 18 points, so he’s one player to watch out for over the side of TNT.

Picks

Spread: Meralco Bolts (+1.5)

Over/Under: Under (184.5)

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