PBA postpones Sunday games due to bad weather

As monsoon rains continued to pound the National Capital Region on Sunday, the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) called off its scheduled Governors' Cup doubleheader at Ninoy Aquino Stadium (NAS) in Manila.

The league first announced the postponement of the games between Phoenix and Rain or Shine and Ginebra and Blackwater.

Later, the PBA moved the Tuesday twinbill, which features Converge-Terrafirma at 5:15 p.m. and NLEX-TNT at 7:30 p.m., from NAS to Ynares Center in Antipolo City, Rizal.

The NAS roof leaked after the third quarter of the Magnolia-Meralco match on Friday, delaying the game for about an hour. The Hotshots won, 105-88, to rise to 3-3 in Group A, while the Bolts occupy the cellar at 2-5.

The week before, stormy weather also flooded the NAS grounds and Adriatico Street, leaving fans and team personnel stranded for a while.

Tickets purchased online for the Sunday and Tuesday games will be automatically refunded. For box office and outlets purchases, physical ticket must be presented at the TicketNet Box Office at Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City from Aug. 23 until Sept. 20.

With the postponement, the Elasto Painters and Bossing will be on an extended break due to Gilas Pilipinas' campaign in the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers on Aug. 27 to 31 at Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay and the Japan Asian Games on Sept. 19 to Oct. 4.

Meanwhile, the Fuel Masters will play the Hotshots on Wednesday night at Ynares Antipolo in their last game before the Gilas break, which is also timely since head coach Charles Tiu will join Strong Group Athletics in the Jones Cup two nights after.

The Gin Kings are down to a Friday night meeting against the Bolts at Araneta Coliseum before head coach Tim Cone shifts his attention to Gilas.

The University Athletic Association of the Philippines, meanwhile, also postponed its Mobile Legends Bang Bang Tournament in Mandaluyong.

Ateneo was supposed to play La Salle in the third match of the scheduled quadruple-header, which would have been the first time a Blue Eagle varsity team will play in a UAAP game since the league cleared the men's basketball squad and imposed a permanent ban on former head coach Tab Baldwin following the drowning incident in Aurora province on June 8.

To make up for the postponed games, all eight teams will have to play two matches on the same day on back-to-back nights.

Ateneo, La Salle, University of the East and Adamson will play twice on Monday, while University of Santo Tomas, National University, University of the Philippines and Far Eastern University will do the same on Tuesday.

-Ivan Stewart Saldajeno/Philippine News Agency