Alaska tries to recover, faces Petron

Games today:

Araneta Coliseum

5:15 p.m.- Globalport vs. Rain or Shine

7:30 p.m.- Alaska vs. Petron

AFTER STUMBLING to their first loss last Wednesday night, the Alaska Aces face another tough opponent tonight as they play the Petron Blaze Boosters in the 38th PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the Araneta Coliseum.

At stake in the encounter is the solo leadership since both teams are currently tied at the number one spot with identical 5-1 (win-loss) cards.

The Aces’ five-game win streak was snapped after they bowed to the defending champions San Mig Coffee Mixers, 68-75, last Wednesday night at the Big Dome.

Petron will try to stretch its own five-game winning run.

Led by former NBA player Renaldo Balkman, the Boosters put up five successive victories after starting the tournament with a 92-94 loss to Globalport Batang Pier.

For Alaska, the match will be more than reclaiming the solo lead. The Aces are also seeking payback against Petron, which defeated them in a fight-marred championship duel in last February’s Sinulog Cup at the Cebu Coliseum.

Petron will get a needed boost in this match since Alex Cabagnot is set to return after sitting out a few games due to a foot injury.

RAIN OR SHINE

VS GLOBALPORT

Meanwhile, another winning streak will be put on the line when the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters clash with the skidding Globalport Batang Pier in the first game.

The Painters are closely trailing the Aces and the Boosters, owning the second spot with four wins against a single loss.

Rain or Shine started the competition with an 83-81 loss to the Aces. But it racked up four straight victories after that to move up in the standings.

In contrast, Globalport has been struggling to gather wins. It lost its last three games to drop to 2-4.

Batang Pier is at eighth spot, slightly ahead of the struggling Barangay Ginebra and Air21, who are tied at last spot with identical 1-5 records. /EDITORIAL ASSISTANT CALVIN D. CORDOVA