MANILA — Magnolia Hotshots will parade a new import for its all-important PBA Commissioner's Cup game against TNT KaTropa in the final day of the elimination round on Wednesday night.
The Hotshots tapped the services of former NBA player Rakeem Christmas ahead of their huge 7 p.m. game against the KaTropa at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
Following a stellar senior season for Syracuse in the 2015 US NCAA season, Christmas was selected in the second round of the NBA Draft of the same year.
During his two-season stint with Indiana, Christmas bounced around with the NBA squad and its G-League affiliate Fort Wayne.
He is fresh from playing for New Zealand's National Basketball League , where he helped the club reach the semifinals.
Christmas replaced James Farr as Magnolia's import as the team looks to check a three-game slide that relegated the squad from a team chasing a once-to-win advantage in the quarterfinals into a club in danger of falling to the once-to-win disadvantage.
The Hotshots need to defeat the KaTropa for them to seal the fifth seed, which means a best-of-three quarterfinal date with Barangay Ginebra.
However, a loss plus a San Miguel Beermen (SMB) win against Meralco Bolts in the first game will drag Magnolia down to the seventh seed, which will mean the team will have to deal with a quarterfinal handicap against second-seeded NorthPort Batang Pier.
Rain Or Shine ElastoPainters will keenly observe the nightcap as a TNT win will hand the team the Top 6 finish.
The three other teams in the doubleheader also have agenda of their own.
The Beermen, like the Hotshots, are also trying to evade the seventh seed, and only a win against the Bolts in the 4:30 p.m. match-up or a KaTropa win can give them the sure Top 6 finish.
On the other hand, Meralco seeks to stay alive in the playoff hunt with a win against SMB.
With their backs against the wall, the Bolts must defeat the Beermen to force a showdown with the Alaska Aces for the eighth and final quarterfinal spot on Friday night.
But a loss will automatically eliminate Meralco, and Phoenix FuelMasters gets another shot at the quarterfinals with the play-in against Alaska.
TNT, meanwhile, looks to seal the top seed in the playoffs with a win.
While already assured of the once-to-win advantage in the quarterfinals, the team can still fall to the second seed if it loses to Magnolia as it will force a tie with NorthPort for the top two spots at 9-2.
With the Batang Pier owning the tiebreaker due to their win against the KaTropa last May, the former will get the top seed instead. (PNA)
