Meralco will be doing just that when it plays Powerade in the Commissioner’s Cup on Wednesday at the Araneta Coliseum.

“Gary David is obviously the marked man,” said Bolts head coach Ryan Gregorio, referring to the Tigers’ shooting guard who is averaging 35.5 points per game in their last two outings.

“His numbers are even better than most of the imports and he must be contained at all cost if we want to keep our boat afloat,” he added.

Meralco and Powerade collide at 7:30 p.m. after the opening battle between league-leading Smart Gilas-Pilipinas and B-MEG Derby Ace at 5 p.m.

David fired 35 points in the Tigers’ 99-91 win over San Miguel Beer to improve to 2-4 and stay in contention for one of the top six spots of the elimination phase.

The Bolts finally secured their first win after a 0-4 start, pulling off an 89-86 come-from-behind win over the Llamados.

“That win gave us the emotional lift and, more important, an open window to make it to the playoffs via the back door,” said Gregorio. “Our next obstacle is to hurdle Powerade.”

Cham Oguchi helped immensely as Meralco snapped a four-game losing streak by hitting the game-winning three-pointer in the closing seconds of their match against the Llamados.

But more than Oguchi’s clutch performance is the Bolts intensity that gives Gregorio the confidence.

“We continue to show progress and team unity is getting tighter,” he said.

Powerade also showed a marked improvement in its previous game against the Beermen despite a quiet 13-point output from new import Martin Zeno.

“It’s not only Gary David but everyone on the team is starting to contribute dahil alam nila puwede pa,” said Tigers head coach Bo Perasol.

With both teams having four losses each, expect nothing but a sort of a playoff atmosphere because the match is a virtual no-tomorrow for them. Both teams need to sweep their remaining assignments to stay in the hunt for a spot in the next round.

Meanwhile, Smart Gilas tries to move closer to one of the top two spots as it guns for its sixth straight win against B-MEG Derby Ace.

The Nationals are currently leading the pack with a 5-0 record while the Llamados are in danger of missing the playoffs with a 2-4 slate.

“We can play our game without any pressure because we are already in the top six,” said Smart Gilas head coach Rajko Toroman, whose latest victims are the Elasto Painters of Rain or Shine, 99-94.

“But they [Llamados] are a very strong team and they have talented and skilled outside and inside players,” he added.

The injury-plagued Llamados are coming off a tough loss against the Bolts with top gunner James Yap sitting out the game because of a calf injury. Yap is a doubtful starter again against the Nationals. Jonas Villanueva, Rafi Reavis and Don Allado are currently in sick bay.

Joel Orellana, Business Mirror