MANILA, Philippines — A souped-up Meralco side guns for an all-important victory when the Bolts resume their East Asia Super League Season 3 home-and-away group stage match against Japan B.League powerhouse squad Ryukyu Golden Kings on Wednesday at the Araneta Coliseum.
The Bolts collide with the Kings at 7:40 p.m. with the PBA Season 48 Philippine Cup champion out to close the final playdate for the group stage with its fourth win in six games.
Meralco got a crucial reload after getting a lending hand from PBA sister team NLEX, which loaned its incoming Commissioner’s Cup import Cady Lallane to the Bolts for the EASL match.
“Playing at home at Araneta is special place for basketball. That’s where we won the (PBA) championship in 2024,” Meralco active consultant Nenad Vucinic said, referring to the Bolts’ breakthrough league title after ruling the Season 48 Philippine Cup by beating San Miguel Beer.
The 33-year-old Haitian, selected 55th overall by the Spurs in the NBA 2015 Draft, will add size and inside scoring for Meralco, which needs to win by six points or more against the Golden Kings in order to advance to the next round.
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Ryukyu currently lords it over Group with its 4-1 card, followed by the Taoyuan Pilots at 4-2.
A Bolts victory will create a three-way logjam at no. 1 among Meralco, Ryukyu and Toayuan.
Should Meralco win by just five points or less, the Bolts will still be eliminated.
Lallane is coming in to take the spot of Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, who sustained an Achilles heel injury more than a month ago in the Bolts’ EASL home game against the Macau Black Bears in their EASL game in Isabela.
“We have to really emphasize this is our place. We have to defend our home, so we need to try to get this win that would accomplish everything that no either Filipino team has accomplished,” he added. “We play for our team but we also play for the country.” The 6-foot-10 will provide additional ceiling for Meralco, which also has Ismael Romero and three-time PBA Best Import Justin Brownlee as well as Iranian guard Sina Vahedi.
Meralco local players CJ Cansino, Chris Banchero, Cliff Hodge, Aaron Black, Brandon Bates, Bong Quinto and big man Raymond Almazan are expected to play, while veteran wingman Chris Newsome might be able to see action as well.
The 35-year-old Newsome is coming off an MCL (medial collateral ligament) injury on his knee in Meralco’s semifinal loss to TNT in the recent Philippine Cup.
AloJapan.com