THE NLEX Road Warriors eyes third straight win and a chance to gain share of the lead in the team standings when they square off with Magnolia Chicken Timplados on Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025, at the Ynares Center in Montalban.
A third straight win would push the Road Warriors to a 7-2 (win-loss) record, potentially tying them at the top with Converge or Rain or Shine.
The team’s ace player Robert Bolick is extra motivated as he eyes getting the win prior to suiting up for the national team in the 33rd Southeast Asian Games in Thailand, which is set on Dec. 13 to 19.
Bolick, who leads NLEX with 17.17 points per game and tops the league in assists (9.5 apg), will miss the Road Warriors’ games against both the Tropang 5G and FiberXers.
Coach Jong Uichico acknowledged the tough stretch ahead but focused on the immediate challenge.
“We have three heavy games coming up. Ang bigat ng mga makakalaban namin, top of the standings: Magnolia, TNT, Converge. Sana makalusot kami sa tatlo,” he said.
“Pero maganda inilalaro ng Magnolia, mga bata, malalaki. We’ll see. Mabigat ‘yung Magnolia.”
Magnolia, coming off a 97-114 loss to Converge last Friday that dropped them to 5-3 and tied for fifth with TNT, is expected to play with intensity.
During the break following their 92-83 win over Titan Ultra on Nov. 16, Uichico and his staff focused on developing a more balanced performance on both ends of the floor.
“We tried to work on it during the break. Tingnan natin kung uubra,” Uichico said. “The only way we can find out is through our games, kung uubra o hindi.” / RSC