Games today:
Smart Araneta Coliseum
5:15 p.m.- Meralco vs. Rain or Shine
7:30 p.m.- Powerade vs. Brgy. Ginebra
The erstwhile unbeaten Rain or Shine Elasto Painters try to get back on track as they test the rejuvenated Meralco Bolts today in the 37th PBA Governors’ Cup at the Araneta Coliseum.
The Painters, led by burly import Jamelle Cornley, strung up four straight wins to start the season but got ambushed in their last outing against the Powerade Tigers, 98-104.
The loss dislodged the Painters from the number one spot currently occupied by the rampaging B-Meg Llamados, who are at 5-1 (win-loss).
The Bolts, meanwhile, snapped a three-game slide, getting a solid performance from newly hired import Mario West, who pumped in 33 points in the team’s 100-95 come-from-behind win over the Alaska Aces last week.
In that win, West, a replacement of Champ Oguchi, flashed his effectiveness from inside and out, completing a series of electrifying dunks and decent three-point shooting.
Fatigue seemed to slow West down as he suffered leg cramps in the fourth, where he failed to score a single point. Meralco has a 2-3 record.
In the main game, the Tigers, the tournament’s second hottest team next to the Llamados, gun for a fourth straight victory against the Barangay Ginebra Kings.
Powerade has been unbeaten since the arrival of import Omar Sneed, who powered the Tigers to straight victories after the team started the tournament with back-to-back defeats.