The NorthPort Batang Pier will look to get it going again after absorbing their second loss in the conference. Meanwhile, the Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots have their eyes on notching their third win in a row.

Catch this game live on Wednesday,  September 4 at 7:30 pm, Manila time.

NorthPort Batang Pier (2-2)

Projected Starting Five:

• Damie Cuntapay
• Joshua Munzon
• Arvin Tolentino
• William Navarro
• Venky Jois

NorthPort cooled off, as the Batang Pier saw their two-game win streak end in last Sunday’s 109-99 loss at the hands of the Meralco Bolts. After scoring 135 points in a win over Converge, the Batang Pier struggled against the Bolts’ defense, as they shot just 42.0 percent from the floor. 

Despite the loss in their last game, the Batang Pier remain a dangerous unit. Arvin Tolentino, who had 21 points against the Bolts, is not too far removed from a 51-point explosion. He’s not going to score that many points on a regular basis, but he’s always a tough cover for opposing defenders because of his ability to score from anywhere on the court. Tolentino is flanked by a couple of talented scorers in Will Navarro and Joshua Munzon, who had 18 and 16 points, respectively in the Meralco game.

Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots (2-2)

Projected Starting Five:

• Paul Lee
• Jerrick Ahanmisi
• Zavier Lucero
• Glenn Robinson III
• James Laput

Is Jerrick Ahanmisi becoming the first four-point specialist in the world? Ahamisi went off for 24 points on the strength of 4/8 shooting from behind the second arc in Magnolia’s 124-103 win last Sunday over the Terrafirma Dyip. Apart from Ahanmisi, Magnolia also got ample contributions from five other teammates who each scored at least 12 points. 

Glenn Robinson III had 20 points and 13 rebounds, while Zav Lucero put up 15 points. For Magnolia, it was nice to see a balanced scoring attack from the import, vets, and youngsters. The Hotshots will hope for the same this Wednesday against a Batang Pier side that just let Meralco score 66 points in the paint.  Magnolia will enter Wednesday’s game having won all of its last five meetings with NorthPort, dating back to 2022.

Picks

Spread: NorthPort (+4)

Over/Under: Over (203.5)