PBA Monday: Aces look to arrest slide vs Express

MANILA, Philippines -- Commissioner’s Cup titleholder Alaska Milk tangles with Air21 as regular Monday action in the mid-season tourney starts at the Big Dome.

The Aces might be the defending champs, but the Express set out for the 8 p.m. match the favored squad for their strong start with import Herve Lamizana.

Air21, solid in its debut against Globalport and even in a close loss to Talk n Text the last time out, continued to make good impression as the Express routed the Barako Bull Energy Cola, 103-85, Friday.

Thus by their fourth game in the tourney, the Express have a chance to match the total number of wins they had racked up in the last two conferences.

They logged a poor 3-11 record in the recent Philippine Cup and a 3-6 mark in the last Governors Cup. They wound up 10th and last in both tourneys.

Alaska coach Luigi Trillo himself is impressed.

“Lamizana makes that team better. And Air21 looks so different taking that leap of faith while adding Jonas Villanueva, Aldrech Ramos, Mike Burstcher and maybe now Rico Villanueva,” said Trillo.

“They’re playing inspired since those changes. (Coach) Franz (Pumaren) has those guys playing hard,” Trillo added.