It is Round 2 for the NorthPort Batang Pier and the Meralco Bolts this weekend. Both teams are coming off losses and are eyeing a return to the win column. The Bolts are still looking great at their current spot in the standings, while the Batang Pier have an elevated sense of urgency, as they are in a precarious position in Group A.

Catch this game live on Saturday,  September 14 at 5:00 pm, Manila time.

NorthPort Batang Pier (3-4)

Projected Starting Five:

  • Jio Jalalon
  • Joshua Munzon
  • Arvin Tolentino
  • William Navarro
  • Venky Jois

Things are not looking good for the Batang Pier, who have gone 1-3 in their last four games. The only win for NorthPort in that stretch was against the Terrafirma Dyip, which holds as much weight as a paper clip. In their last game, the Batang Pier lost to the Converge FiberXers on Wednesday, 107-99. Venky Jois and Arvin Tolentino led NorthPort with 24 and 21 points, respectively, but they combined for a poor 12/29 shooting from the floor.  

Defense was the bigger problem for NorthPort in that game, as the Batang Pier allowed Converge to shoot 51.4 FG% and go 15/32 from behind the arc. The good news is that it’s a fixable problem that the Batang Pier will look to address in the rematch against Meralco. In the first meeting, NorthPort got 21 points from Tolentino and 18 from Will Navarro. Those two can cause matchup problems due to their size, mobility, and range.

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Meralco Bolts (5-2)

Projected Starting Five:

  • Chris Banchero
  • Chris Newsome
  • Kier Quinto
  • Allen Durham
  • Brandon Bates

The Bolts have two losses this conference, but they would have been undefeated if the TNT Tropang Giga did not exist. Both Meralco’s defeats came at the hands of their sister ball club, including Thursday’s 108-99 setback at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium. Meralco lost to the Tropang Giga despite being +8 on field goal attempts and +8 in the rebounding department. Still, that’s the kind of effort that gets rewarded, which the Bolts hope to get this Saturday.

During the first encounter with NorthPort, the Bolts crushed the Batang Pier on the glass by a huge margin, 60-43. Meralco also lit up NorthPort in the shaded area where the Bolts were +18. Durham had 34 points on 13/18 shooting in that contest, and he could be that dominant again in the rematch, considering the recent form of NorthPort on defense. 

Picks

Spread: Meralco (-5.5)

Over/Under: Over (204.5)

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