Wednesday, January 10, 2018

Alab Pilipinas looking to extend good form vs Singapore

Tanduay-Alab Pilipinas seeks to extend its winning run in the ASEAN Basketball League tonight to four games, as they host the Singapore Slingers at the Filoil Flying V Centre.

Set to tip off at 8pm with LIVE coverage on both S+A and S+A HD, this is the second of their home-and-home matchup against the two sides, with Alab ekeing out the 89-80 OT victory at the OCBC Arena.

Justin Brownlee contributed seventeen points, seven rebounds, and eight assists, while Renaldo Balkman added 26 points, eight rebounds, four steals, and a couple of blocks while also dealing with Chris Charles.

Local ABL experts are impressed with Alab's current form so far, which has put them at .500 for the season, just behind the Saigon Heat for fourth place in the standings.

According to Marco Benitez, "If Alab can continue to improve their chemistry and the support from the local players, having Brownlee and Balkman -- both do-it-all imports – it will likely be able to carry them to the top 6 in the standings, enough to make it to the postseason. The major area of concern for Alab is on the rebounding end, as they will be facing teams, like Chong Son for instance, with taller and better rebounders. But if they can overcome that with their hustle and athleticism, then there's no reason why they shouldn't be able to compete against the best the ABL has to offer."

Anton Roxas echoed the former Blue Eagle's sentiments, "They (Brownlee and Balkman) have proven to be a winning combination so far and I expect them to continue playing well all throughout January. I will mark my calendar for January 31 though as Alab hosts the currently undefeated Chong Son Kung Fu at the Sta. Rosa Multi-Purpose Complex. That should be a very interesting contest."

Meanwhile, Martin Javier shares that "After a slow start, they're riding a 3-game winning streak to begin 2018. If they're able to sustain it, this kind of firepower can carry them to at least a semis and hopefully maximize the talent to get past top teams like Chong Son Kung Fu and defending champs, Hong Kong Eastern. The addition of their newest world imports and a very capable bench unit could be a recipe for success for Alab this year."

The Slingers, on the other hand, have slumped, with the OT loss against Alab dropping them to 3-5 with their fourth loss in their last five matches.

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