Important PBA tiffs on Friday

Crucial wins are at stake in Friday’s ante-penultimate play date of the 39th PBA Philippine Cup at the Araneta Coliseum.
The Barangay Ginebra Kings play the GlobalPort Batang Pier in the first game while the San Mig Coffee Mixers battle the Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters in the main game.
The Kings are still on top of the standings with a 10-2 (win-loss) record but still need to win their remaining games to secure the No. 1 spot.
The No. 1 and No. 2 teams after the 14-game elimination round will be twice-to-beat over the eighth and seventh-ranked quarterfinalists, respectively.
GlobalPort is tied with the Barako Bull Energy Colas, and Meralco Bolts for the sixth to eighth spots with identical 5-8 slates. The two other quarterfinal pairings, which will pit the No. 3 and No. 6 and the No. 4 vs. the No. 5 team, will be played in best-of-three affairs.
A win against Ginebra will formalize GlobalPort’s entry to the quarters.
The Air21 Express is the first team to get the boot after losing 10 of their first 13 games.
Barangay Ginebra, Rain or Shine (10-3), Petron (9-4), Talk ‘N Text (7-5) and San Mig (6-7) are already assured of quarterfinal spots. The Kings, Elasto Painters and Blaze Boosters are still fighting for the two top spots.
The Tropang Texters and the Coffee Mixers are also gunning for victories that will improve their quarterfinal positioning.
Currently at ninth spot are the Alaska Aces, who will be playing a do-or-die game against the Energy Colas to earn a playoff for a quarterfinal seat.

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