Three teams target twice-to-beat

MANILA, Philippines - Three teams go all out to fuel their respective drives for twice-to-beat edges in the quarterfinals while one fights for survival in a crucial double-header featured in a Philippine Basketball Association Tuesday show at the Smart Araneta Coliseum tonight.

Petron Blaze clashes with Alaska Milk at 5:15 p.m. then Talk n Text collides with B-Meg at 7:30 p.m. in an explosive twinbill marking the last play date of the PBA Philippine Cup in the month of November.

The next games are set Friday, ushering in the December homestretch of the elimination round.

The Texters, the Boosters and the Llamados press their bids for the quarters incentives while the Aces fight to stay alive in tonight’s games.

Talk n Text leads the field with an 8-2 win-loss card but is hard pressed to keep the pace with a badly crippled lineup.

Minus Jimmy Alapag, Ryan Reyes, Aaron Aban, Ali Peek and Jared Dillinger, the Texters suffered a 96-131 blowout at the hands of the Powerade Tigers Sunday.

“Without our top four defenders (Peek, Reyes, Dillinger and Aban), we’re sitting ducks. We’re back to being the worst defensive team in the PBA and it showed (in our game against Powerade),” said Talk n Text coach Chot Reyes.

The Texters could be in for another tough night versus the Llamados who are hot on a five-game streak.

B-Meg coach Tim Cone said the Texters are indeed in a tight situation but can’t be taken for granted.

“Talk n Text is coming off a tough loss and has a short turnaround, but it’s always good to get back quickly on the horse after you’ve been thrown and that serve them well. We expect them to be highly motivated and prepared despite one day of rest,” said Cone.

A shakeup in the leader board happens should both the Llamados and the Boosters sustain their searing runs.

The Boosters are breathing down the Texters’ neck at 8-3 with the Llamados also close behind at 7-4.

The Aces, however, are determined to stop the Boosters to keep their flickering quarters hope alive.

“Right now, we don’t want to worry about the next round. Our aim is to learn how to beat the big teams,” said Alaska coach Joel Banal.

The Aces have a lot of catching up to do at ninth place with a 3-8 card. No. 8 Powerade is a game and a half ahead at 5-7.

Eight teams advance to the quarterfinals with the top two enjoying a twice-to-beat advantage versus No. 7 and No. 8. in their match-ups. No. 3 tangles with No. 6 and No. 4 tackles No. 5 in separate best-of-three showdowns.