The Ninoy Aquino Stadium will continue to host PBA games this Thursday, with the NorthPort Batang Pier and the Converge FiberXers playing the first game of a doubleheader. Will NorthPort silence Scotty Hopson and the FiberXers? Or, will Converge sustain its momentum and collect another win?

Catch this game live on Thursday,  August 29 at 5:00 pm, Manila time.

NorthPort Batang Pier (1-1)

Projected Starting Five:

  • John Calma
  • Joshua Munzon
  • Arvin Tolentino
  • Will Navarro
  • Venky Jois

NorthPort was not going to be denied a win in its second game in the conference, as the Batang Pier crushed the Terrafirma Dyip last Friday, 112-93. That victory got the Batang Pier to .500, as they lost their opener at the hands of the TNT Tropang Giga, 101-95. William Navarro showed the way for NorthPort in the Terrafirma game.  Kuya Will went off for 31 points in just 25 minutes. He shot 13/20 from the field and grabbed five boards with two assists and two steals. Will he still be hot this Thursday? Either way, Navarro is clearly a dangerous and confident weapon that can score from all three levels.

“I’m just confident,” Navarro said after treating the Dyip like his personal punching bag, per TiebreakerTimes. “I know my shots are gonna go in. It’s not surprising for me.”

It also helps Batang Pier that they also have an efficient, blue-collar import in Venky Jois, who had 16 points and 16 boards against Terrafirma. 

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Converge FiberXers (2-1)

Projected Starting Five:

  • Alex Cabagnot
  • Alec Stockton
  • Scotty Hopson
  • Kevin Racal
  • Justin Arana

People are still buzzing about the exploits of Scotty Hopson in Converge’s thrilling 96-95 win over the Tropang Giga last Tuesday. Hopson did import things in that contest, including sinking a game-winning four-point play. He finished the game with 32 points on 10/23 shooting from the floor and was also 2/3 from behind the second arc. Hopson is proving to be an unstoppable scoring machine in the PBA. 

He should be a matchup problem for NorthPort, whose import is not much of a defensive weapon on the perimeter.  But Converge is more than just about Hopson, as he also has a solid supporting cast. Deschon Winston has found his groove after scoring 14 points on 5/9 shooting while Alex Cabagnot, at age 41, had 10 points and five rebounds against TNT.

Picks

Spread: NorthPort (+3.0)

Over/Under: Under (204.5)

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