Top contenders Meralco Bolts and the Magnolia Timplados Hotshots will slug it out in the opening game of the 49th Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Governors Cup on Sunday at the Araneta Coliseum.
With Paris Olympics veteran and top US NCAA Division I gymnast Aleah Finnegan as their muse, the Bolts will start their quest for another title against the Hotshots at 7:30 p.m.
Finnegan, who competed in the women’s individual all-around meets during the Paris Olympics, said she happily accepted an offer as a muse, some two weeks before she went to Manila to conduct a two-day clinic for kids on Saturday.
The Bolts are still high on their Philippine Cup title and seek to extend their title drive in the Governor’s Cup.
The Luigi Trillo-coached Bolts and the Hotshots are in Group A, which also consists of Converge, Terrafirma, NorthPort and the TNT Tropang Giga.
Group B will have Blackwater, Phoenix, NLEX, Rain or Shine, Barangay Ginebra, and San Miguel Beer.
The elimination round will take place six days a week except for Mondays, as the league adjusted its schedule.
This is in line with Gilas Pilipinas’ coming stint in Window 2 of the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers in November.
