The NLEX Road Warriors and the NorthPort Batang Pier are both on losing streaks, but they are still in the playoff picture. Each stuck with three wins, NLEX and NorthPort will look to strengthen their positions for the postseason in an intriguing meeting between two middle-of-the-road squads this Wednesday.
Catch this game live on Wednesday, November 9 at 5:45 pm, Manila time.
NLEX Road Warriors (3-4)
Projected Starting Five:
- PG: Kevin Alas
- SG: Kris Rosales
- SF: Don Trollano
- PF: Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser
- C: Earl Clark
The struggle continues for NLEX, which is now below .500 after back-to-back losses to the San Miguel Beermen (124-116) and to the Converge FiberXers (108-84). The Road Warriors shot poorly against Converge, connecting on just 32.1 percent of their shots from the field, and were just 9/40 from behind the arc.
Earl Clark only had 15 points on 5/15 shooting, and in the PBA, an import producing relatively measly numbers is almost always going to end up with a loss for his team. So, Clark will have to step it up before his seat gets much warmer. A game against NorthPort could just be what the doctor ordered for Clark and the Road Warriors, as the Batang Pier is on a three-game skid and had just allowed 104 points or more in two of their last three outings. Moreover, NLEX is 3-1 in its last four meetings with NorthPort.
NorthPort Batang Pier (3-5)
Projected Starting Five:
- PG: Robert Bolick
- SG: Jeff Chan
- SF: Kevin Ferrer
- PF: Will Navarro
- C: Prince Ibeh
The arrival of Will Navarro hasn’t translated to wins so far for the Batang Pier, but they should be able to figure it out soon. Navarro has scored 27 points in two games in NorthPort uniform, but it appears to have come at the expense of the production of Arvin Tolentino, who’s scored just eight points in the two games since Navarro started suiting up.
Playing NLEX’s leaky defense could be where the Navarro-infused NorthPort will finally show the Batang Pier’s true potential. The Road Warriors are second-worst in the PBA this conference with 106.7 points allowed per game. They also have the second-highest defensive rating, with 111.3 points allowed per 100 possessions. That is music in the ears of Robert Bolick, who scored 18 points in the loss to the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters last Friday. Bolick leads NorthPort with 20.9 points per game.
PREDICTION:
Spread: NorthPort (+1.0) covers.
Over/Under: The Over (198.5) hits.
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