Even from a breather of over three weeks, the Meralco Bolts are still coming back with health woes, and they know they have their job cut out for them against Eugene Phelps and the Phoenix Fuel Masters.
"JD (Jared Dillinger) and Ranidel (de Ocampo) are still hurt so they will not play. Transition defense, and keeping Phoenix off the offensive boards will be keys to the game," said Meralco coach Norman Black ahead of their 7 p.m. tussle with the Fuel Masters Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Blackwater and NorthPort clash in the other game at the resumption of the PBA Governors Cup from a two-week breather to give way to the September window of the FIBA World Cup qualifier.
Through the initial blast of third conference action, Phoenix is among the frontrunners with a 3-1 win-loss slate while Meralco is off to a scrambling 1-2 start.
Finalists in this tourney in the last two seasons, the Bolts hope to finally get their bearing and play true to form especially as they're gearing up for their coming stint in the 2019 FIBA Asia Champions Cup in Thailand.
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Allen Durham will team up with 7-foot-1 Liam McMorrow as they reinforce the Bolts in the Asian inter-club tourney set Sept. 27-Oct. 2 in the Thai city of Nonthaburi.
But the Bolts want to take care of their business in the local pro league before vying in the Asia Champions Cup.
"We have been off for three and a half weeks so we have to focus on getting off to a good start," said Black.
The Bolts won their initial outing in the tourney against the Columbian Dyip, 109-106, but then reeled with back-to-back losses to the TNT KaTropa Texters, 90-92, and to the Alaska Milk Aces, 72-80.
Phelps and his teammates, meanwhile, emerged as among the early leaders with victories over the Dyip (113-107), the NorthPort Batang Pier (132-91) and the Texters (112-82).
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The Fuel Masters have suffered a lone loss at the hands of the Aces, 97-108.
Phelps erupted for 30 points and 15 rebounds against the Batang Pier. It's the most lopsided game in the tourney thus far where Jason Perkins, Matthew Wright, LA Revilla, RJ Jazul, Joseph Eriobu and Calvin Abueva also produced double-digit numbers for the Fuel Masters.
Needless to say, Abueva has added a new dimension in the Phoenix team game on his transfer from Alaska Milk.(SB)
