Tropa seek outright Last Eight berth

MANILA, Philippines — TNT aims to play its cards right against also-ran Converge to gain passage to the PBA Philippine Cup quarterfinals today at the PhilSports Arena.

After a 2-3 start, the Tropang Giga cranked it up and won three of their next four assignments to make their way up the tight standings.

Chot Reyes and his troops are now in a tie for third to fifth with NLEX and Magnolia at 5-4, needing only one more victory to make the Magic 8 hassle-free.

If they make the most of this opportunity in the 7:30 p.m. Labor Day tiff against the eliminated FiberXers (1-9), the Tropang Giga join early qualifiers San Miguel Beer (9-0) and Ginebra (7-3) with a game to go in their elims slate.

Ahead of the potential Last-8 clincher, Reyes underscored the importance of a strong performance from start to finish.

The undefeated Beermen, already assured of No. 1 seeding and twice-to-beat advantage, are hunting for their 10th straight and one shy of a rare elims sweep in the 4:30 p.m. curtain raiser against embattled Blackwater (3-6).

Notes: Meralco’s All-Filipino drive suffered a big blow as guard Aaron Black was diagnosed to have torn an ACL in the Bolts’ 74-51 rout of Magnolia last Sunday. He will be out for the rest of the season. “I will be back stronger from this,” Black said on the team’s social media accounts....In celebration of Labor Day, the PBA is offering free tickets to workers on a first-come, first-served basis. Under the promo titled: “PBA Mayo Uno: Pasasalamat sa Manggagawang Pilipino,” fans need to show a company ID or proof of employment to gain free access to the games.