The No. 8 seed for the PBA 49th Season Commissioner’s Cup quarterfinals will be decided by the final game before the tournament begins.

These are the keys to the game that both teams must win.

In their lone game on Sunday, Magnolia and NLEX compete for the eighth and last quarterfinal position. With a 6-6 record, the Hotshots and Road Warriors were tied for eighth place, forcing a playoff matchup against No. 1 NorthPort in the quarterfinals, although with a two-to-win disadvantage.

Both teams are on three-game winning streaks to reach this point, and a streak will come to an end on Sunday in the matchup between Magnolia and NLEX.

The Road Warriors overcame Rain or Shine, 122-110, last Saturday to remain in the quarterfinals, while the Hotshots upset Meralco, 129-92, on Friday to guarantee their spot in the playoff game.

With scores of 22, 25, and 31 in those pivotal games, Ricardo Ratliffe’s scoring has been increasing throughout the last three games. In the meantime, Mike Watkins has also performed well, scoring 33, 22, and 41 points in the wins.

With an average of 22.3 points in Magnolia’s three consecutive victories, Zavier Lucero has been on fire.
NLEX must make every effort to prevent another Hotshots victory, which could result from another 20-point performance by Lucero.

Watkins and Robert Bolick have scored 41 and 40 points in different games, respectively, while one game during the run has seen six players score in double digits, demonstrating the effectiveness of NLEX coach Jong Uichico’s recent efforts to implement a compact nine-man rotation.

Magnolia needs to find a counterbalance to the RoadWarriors, including Tony Semerad, Jonnel Policarpio, and Javee Mocon, who have been on a run.

Recently, Luigi demands that Meralco improve following their “pathetic” defeat.

Although he gave Magnolia credit for their performance, Trillo stated that giving up over 30 points in each of the first two quarters is not the type of basketball Meralco needs to play in their best-of-three series versus Ginebra.

Additionally, Trillo stated that their import Akil Mitchell’s absence from the game for the second consecutive time is not an excuse.

After winning three in a row and ending the eliminations at No. 5, it was Meralco’s second consecutive conference setback.

“It’s a no-bearing for us so the most important thing for us is to give them rhythm. It’s hard when you’re playing a team like Magnolia. They’re very physical. They started stepping on the jets in the Eastern game. You could feel it. And then, they have that big line-up with Calvin (Abueva). You have to give it to them. They’re playing sharp. Magnolia’s backs are against the wall. Those guys come to play,” Trillo said.

In the quarterfinal series against Barangay Ginebra, a team that swept them in their most recent playoff matchup in the 49th Season Governors’ Cup, Trillo expects the former Meralco team will return after those losses.