Blackwater eyes redemption as Ginebra seeks first win in marquee showdown

a day ago

Three months after coming within reach of a stunning upset, Blackwater gets another shot at Barangay Ginebra.

The Bossing and the Gin Kings headline Friday's Group B schedule in the PBA Season 50 Governors' Cup at the SMART Araneta Coliseum, with both teams looking to rebound from disappointing losses.

When they last met on April 24 in the Commissioner's Cup, Blackwater looked poised to pull off one of the biggest surprises of the conference.

Pat Aquino, then still settling into his role as head coach, had the Bossing playing with confidence before Ginebra's championship pedigree surfaced in crunch time. Stephen Holt buried two timely three-pointers in the fourth quarter as the Gin Kings escaped with a 115-108 victory.

Now Aquino has another opportunity to earn his first win over the league's most popular franchise.

Blackwater enters the contest after seeing its perfect start halted by Meralco. The Bossing stormed back from an 18-point deficit and tied the game at 114-all behind back-to-back baskets from RK Ilagan, only for Chris Newsome to deliver the winning shot.

Ginebra also comes into the matchup eager to respond after dropping its conference opener to Phoenix Super LPG, 81-78.

The Gin Kings nearly erased a 14-point deficit in the closing minutes, with newcomer Riley Grigsby leading the comeback before Jeremiah Gray's potential game-tying three-pointer missed its mark.

Grigsby made an immediate impact in his PBA debut, finishing with 42 points and 13 rebounds while filling in for the recovering Justin Brownlee. Expect Blackwater to make slowing him down a top priority.

According to Tiger Score, the Bossing are four-point underdogs, with the projected total set at 211.5 points.

Earlier at 5:15 p.m., Meralco and Magnolia renew a rivalry that produced one of last conference's most memorable playoff battles.

The Bolts are chasing a third consecutive victory after recovering from an opening-game defeat, while the Hotshots are desperate to avoid an 0-3 start after losses to Phoenix and Blackwater.

The teams know each other well after meeting three straight times during the Commissioner's Cup.

Magnolia first defeated Meralco, 93-76, in the elimination round before carrying that momentum into the playoffs with a 95-89 victory that forced a deciding game.

But the Bolts had the final say, surviving a tense 105-102 overtime thriller to eliminate the Hotshots and reach the semifinals.

Jerom Lastimosa, who emerged as Magnolia's go-to scorer during that playoff series, will once again shoulder much of the offensive load as the Hotshots seek to reverse their fortunes.

Tiger Score has Magnolia installed as a two-point favorite, while the over/under is listed at 195.0 points.