The PBA schedule will feature Philippine Cup quarterfinals matchups on Christmas Day, with Ginebra taking on Converge and NLEX challenging NLEX.
It’s some good ol’ fashioned playoff basketball for the PBA’s Christmas Day slate for the Season 50 Philippine Cup.
Defending champion San Miguel open the PBA quarterfinals against the NLEX Road Warriors, with the Beermen holding a twice-to-beat advantage.
The Beermen enter as the no. 1 seed, racking up nine straight wins after an uncharacteristic 0-2 start.
MVP June Mar Fajardo, Cjay Perez, and Jericho Cruz continue to lead the charge as San Miguel looks to stay hot in its bid for back-to-back titles.
Standing in their way are the Road Warriors, who are the no. 8 seed with a 6-5 mark.
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NLEX finished the elimination round with three straight losses, but the wildcard is star guard Robert Bolick.
Bolick missed the early parts of the season to mourn the death of his father, then missed the end of the elimination round in order to boost Gilas Pilipinas’ gold medal run in the SEA Games.
The San Miguel-NLEX pairing will tip off at 5:15 p.m. on Christmas Day.
Finishing the game day at the Smart Araneta Coliseum is the 7:30 p.m. showdown between Barangay Ginebra San Miguel and the Converge FiberXers.
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The Gin Kings are the lower seed, but they’re the one with momentum as they closed five straight wins.
Meanwhile, the FiberXers two of their last three games but hold the coveted twice-to-beat advantage.
Notably, Converge beat Ginebra in their first meeting this season, a testy encounter that saw rookie Juan Gomez de Liaño shine with 32 points, six rebounds, and six assists for Converge.
Reigning Rookie of the Year RJ Abarrientos was the high man for the Gin Kings that game with 24 points.