Rising Suns, Giants fuel playoff bid

MANILA, Philippines - Cagayan Valley and Jumbo Plastic step up their respective playoff drives as they tangle in a key match today even as Café France and Zambales M-Builders try to shore up their campaigns in the PBA D-League Aspirants’ Cup at the Ynares Arena in Pasig.

The Rising Suns (6-2) and the Giants (5-1) are both in hot pursuit of a playoff spot with a strong chance for outright semifinal berth, making their 2 p.m. showdown a match to watch.

Café France (4-3) also seeks a crucial win against slumping Zambales M-Builders (2-5) in their 4 p.m. encounter with the Bakers trying to stay in the hunt for a spot in the Magic Six.

“(Cagayan) has a lot of good shooters. Their wingmen are dangerous when left open. But I think we can match up with them. If we have to win, it’s going to be with our defense. The key is to limit Cagayan to below 70 points,” said Jumbo Plastic assistant mentor Joel Dualan.

The Giants is the league’s current top defensive team, holding their rivals to 64 points per game.

Jumbo Plastic coach Steve Tiu also hopes his team will buck the long 10-day layoff that could disrupt their rhythm and momentum.

“Long break tends to disrupt your rhythm and, at times, gets you rusty. Hopefully playing some tune-up games is enough to keep us in game shape,” said Tiu.

Meanwhile, PBA commissioner Chito Salud suspended NLEX center Ola Adeogun for one game for a flagrant foul penalty 2 he committed against the Big Chill Superchargers last week. 

Adeogun, who was also fined P5,000, will serve his suspension on Jan. 7, 2014 when the defending champions resumed their campaign against Wang’s Basketball.