To be held at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, the Kings, the champions in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Governors’ Cup last season, are out to improve on their underperforming 1-2 record so far, which partly they blame on the long gaps they have had in between games.

Citing their inability to establish some momentum with the weeklong breaks they have been having, the Kings have seen their campaign go up and down.

They opened their Philippine Cup bid with a loss to the TNT KaTropa, 108-103, on Nov. 27 before winning over the Rain or Shine Elastopainters, 81-74, on Dec. 4.

Ed Daquioag may have been starstruck by Jayson Castro at first, but it didn’t stop him from performing at his best. The rookie went on another tear, finishing with 23 points and four rebounds in Meralco’s 98-87 win over TNT on Friday.

More notably, the Santo Tomas star bucked his nerves and even nailed a three right in front of Castro in the final minute to seal the win — the Bolts’ second in three outings.

Collapsing in the endgame, there was no doubt in coach Norman Black’s mind where Meralco failed to deliver in its game against Alaska on Wednesday: free-throw shooting.

“It was a tough loss. If you’re up by nine with four minutes to go, you should win the basketball game, but we missed a lot of foul shots tonight and didn’t make the plays when we needed it,” he said, after the Bolts’ 81-79 defeat to the Aces.

METHODICALLY stamping its class, Rain or Shine was able to pick Blackwater apart, 107-93, to return to its winning ways and claim solo first place in the 2016-17 Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup Friday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

In his first start for the Elasto Painters, James Yap produced his best game for his new team thus far, tallying a game-high 15 points and five rebounds to lead the way.

Four more Painters tallied in twin-digits to provide him ample support.

THE rampaging Meralco Bolts look to gain a piece of the tournament lead but they will be tested when they battle the resurgent Alaska Aces.

The Bolts go for a third consecutive victory at the resumption of the 2016-17 Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup. The Bolts (2-1) can continue their move up the ladder when they test rejuvenated Alaska (1-2) 7 p.m. at the Smart Araneta Coliseum tonight.

Earlier, two skidding teams in the Blackwater Elite and the NLEX Road Warriors aim to arrest their slides when they take the floor at 4:15 p.m. in the appetizer.

THREE teams want to reclaim a piece of the top spot while one wants to continue its move up the standings as the 2016-17 Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup resumes.

Streaking TNT KaTropa, winners of two in a row and holding a 2-1 card, resumes its sibling rivalry with the Meralco Bolts (1-1) in their 7 p.m. clash.

Blackwater Elite and Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, both at 2-1, who want to keep their place up top will part ways when they face off at 4:15 p.m. at the Smart Araneta Coliseum today, Friday, December 9.

THE NLEX Road Warriors and Blackwater Elite, two teams currently in a skid in the ongoing PBA Philippine Cup, try to wiggle out of their funk as they take on each other in league action today at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

To face off in the 4:15 p.m. opener, the Road Warriors and Elite are eyeing a halt to their early bleeding in the season-opening Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) tournament that has seen them each lose back-to-back games of late.

After debuting with a win, now-Yeng Guaio-coached NLEX (1-2) has lost its last two matches -- against the Meralco Bolts and Star Hotshots in that order -- to an average deficit of 18.5 points.

NOW with a complete line-up in tow, Alaska showed everyone that it is back in full strength.

The Aces finally listed their first victory of the season, coming from behind in the last few minutes and taking a hard-fought 95-84 victory over erstwhile league-leading GlobalPort in the 2016-17 Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City last night.

In his first game of the season after missing his team’s first two due to an injury, Calvin Abueva went right back to work with a vengeance, leading his team to triumph with a solid game with a double-double of 22 points and 11 boards to lead the Aces’ charge.