Alab vs Chong Son on tap for ABL on S+A

ABL on S+A tonight

Alab Pilipinas will have a formidable task looming tonight at the Sta. Rosa Sports Complex in Laguna, as it hosts league contenders Chong Son Kung Fu in ASEAN Basketball League play.

Alab is currently on a three-game winning run and six of its last seven, and a win for the hosts would put them even closer to league leaders Hong Kong Eastern. They are fresh from a 95-87 victory over the Saigon Heat in Vietnam this past weekend to move them to 6-4 and fourth place.

This winning stretch has been largely through the efforts of their reinforcements Justin Brownlee and Renaldo Balkman. The latter duo combined for 51 points and 35 rebounds against the Heat. According to resident league broadcast analyst Marco Benitez, Alab can overcome its rebounding disadvantage due to its lack of ceiling through its hustle and athleticism, something that can be done against the likes of Chong Son.

This is their first meeting against the Chinese newcomers, who tote a 6-1 record and are currently second in the league. Chong Son are coming off a 96-79 victory over Westports Malaysia Dragons. Mikhael McKinney contributed 32 points and four rebounds, while Caelan Tiongson added 18 points and eight rebounds. A win would move them to just two wins behind the defending champions.

Those who want to watch it can do so on S+A starting at 8pm LIVE.

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.

Tanduay-Alab Pilipinas vs Singapore Slingers on tap for ABL play

ABL on S+A tomorrow

Tanduay-Alab Pilipinas heads to the OCBC Arena in Singpore to face the Singapore Slingers in ASEAN Basketball League action tomorrow.

Alab is fresh from a 90-79 victory over Westports Malaysia Dragons earlier this week at the Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan, and are raring to avenge their 97-83 loss back in November in Sta. Rosa. They will be doing so with a couple of new reinforcements who made impressive debuts.

Justin Brownlee stuffed the stat sheet with 28 points, seven rebounds, eight assists, three steals, and a couple of blocks. Renaldo Balkman wasn't too shabby himself with seventeen points, eleven rebounds, an assist, four steals, and a couple of blocks.

Reigning ABL MVP Rayray Parks was thankful for the presence of the former PBA imports, as it frees him up to focus more on defensive responsibilities. He shares, "Balkman and Brownlee are athletic, and they make us get up and down the floor, making us a way faster team, it’s a great fit. They’re great talents, which makes everything easier in facilitating and creating and at I can focus more on putting pressure on opposing guards."

Dondon Hontiveros adds, "We needed imports who are fast. With Justin and Balkman, these are the types of guys that (Coach) Jimmy wants for our team, they can switch and guard multiple positions aside from creating their own offense. Aside from that, they have experience, with Brownlee coming off a championship and Balkman from a stellar tour of duty overseas, with national team stints."

Meanwhile, the Slingers are playing their first game in 2018 after ending 2017 with an 82-79 defeat to Hong Kong Eastern. Like Alab, they also have a new reinforcement, enlisting two-time World Import MVP Chris Charles alongside Xavier Alexander and AJ Mandani.

The game will be shown LIVE on S+A and S+A HD at 4pm, with a replay scheduled at 8pm.

Alab vs Singapore tomorrow night

Alab Pilipinas

Alab Pilipinas will attempt to bounce back from their opening disappointment tomorrow night, as they host last season's finalists Singapore Slingers at the Sta. Rosa Multi-Purpose Complex in Sta. Rosa, Laguna.

Fresh from their 92-89 loss to defending champions Hong Kong Eastern, the squad coached by Jimmy Alapag seeks to bounce back against the visiting Slingers, who are fresh from a 77-66 win over the CLS Knights.

Alab rode on their reinforcements Reggie Okosa and Ivan Johnson in their opener, scoring 28 and 17 points, respectively. Last season's MVP Ray Parks also contributed 17 points.

The Slingers relied on their reinforcements to defeat the Indonesian newcomers. Xavier Alexander contributed 26 points, eleven rebounds, seven assists, two steals, and a block, while Ryan Wright added 21 points, thirteen rebounds, three assists, a steal, and three blocks.

The match also features Josh Urbiztondo going up against the team he played for last year. The Slingers replaced him with AJ Mandani for this season, although the guard struggled against CLS with just a couple of points on 1/10 shooting.

The game will be shown LIVE on S+A, starting at 8pm.