Magnolia Hotshots vs Meralco Bolts Prediction & Betting Tips - PBA, Governors Cup

Prediction published on 21/03/2023, 20:18  by Joseph King | Modified on 21/03/2023 at 20:18 in Basketball Predictions

The PBA Governors’ Cup playoff quarterfinals sees the fourth-seed Meralco Bolts taking on the fifth-seed Magnolia Hotshots at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Wednesday. Despite ending the regular season with an equal record of seven wins and four losses, it was the Bolts head-to-head record which saw them gain the all-important advantage in this playoff structure. By way of finishing in the top four seeds, the Meralco Bolts only have to win once against their opponents to advance to the semifinals while the Magnolia Hotshots will have to win two straight games to move on. Meralco closed out the regular season on a two game winning streak after victories over Converge and a 92-86 win over the Fuel Masters in the team’s latest outing. The Bolts will be leaning on their import player KJ McDaniels, who is putting up 26 points per game and pulling down a league high 16.5 rebounds.

As for the Hotshots, they will likely be cursing their luck at barely missing out on a top four spot. They would finish in fifth-place despite a red-hot end to the season which saw them win their last three regular season matchups. The Hotshots are also riding a run of seven wins from their last eight games, with the only loss during that time coming against their opponents today. The two teams played out a defensive battle in their regular season matchup which the Bolts would edge out by the slimmest of margins with a two point victory. Magnolia will turn to import player Antonio Hester to shoulder the load with the 32-year-old vet averaging 27.9 points per game, 15.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists in eight games this season.