SAN Miguel Beermen coach Leo Austria saw complacency from his wards in their first loss to Saigon Heat last week in the Asean Basketball League.
Now he hopes that there won’t be any repeat of that kind of attitude when they face the league-leading Heat again this time in their first home game of the season on Friday at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City.
The Beermen play the Heat at 5 p.m. just six days after bowing to the Vietnam-based squad, 92-89, behind a raucous crowd at the Tan Binh Stadium.
For the Beermen’s first hometown game in the league this season, free tickets will be given at the gates before the game on a first-come, first-served basis.
The Vietnamese crowd had all the reasons to cheer when Jai Reyes played an all-around game in leading the Heat to the win as the former Ateneo Blue Eagle finished with 22 points.
Dior Lowhorn and David Palmer also dominated the Beermen, combining for 53 points and 24 rebounds to send the Heat to their third win in four outings for the early lead in the regional league.
“Naging complacent sila, akala nila kaya nila on their own,” Austria said.
The concurrent Adamson head coach also hopes that they will make adjustments on defense against Lowhorn, Palmer, and Reyes.
“We failed to stop them at the post as well as Jai. We didn’t follow our game plan,” said Austria, whose wards are in solo fourth place with a 1-1 win-loss slate.
The defending champion Indonesia Warriors are on a three-game winning streak following their 69-57 victory over the Singapore Slingers last Tuesday for a 3-2 card followed by the Malaysia Dragons in third place with a 2-2 slate.
Among the positives for the Beermen in their last game against the Heat is the showing of PBA veterans Asi Taulava and Eric Menk. The former MVPs combined for 22 points and 10 rebounds to complement Gabe Freeman (16 points, nine rebounds, and four assists) and Brian Williams (14 points and 16 rebounds).
Val Acuna and Chris Banchero also scored in double figures for the Beermen with 12 and 11 points respectively.
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