SAN Miguel kept its hold of the top spot in the PBA Philippine Cup by surviving a late Barangay Ginebra fightback, 95-92, Friday in a marquee matchup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
It was the fourth straight win for the unbeaten Beermen, who got solid contributions from CJ Perez, June Mar Fajardo, Don Trollano, and Mo Tautuaa in dealing the Kings a second loss in five outings.
READ SMB stays perfect after turning back Ginebra comeback
Just a game behind San Miguel is the rampaging Northport Batang Pier, who scored a runaway 112-96 win over skidding TNT Tropang Giga.
The Batang Pier have now won four in a row for a 4-1 standings, while the Tropang Giga suffered a second straight loss and went below the .500 mark at 2-3.
Here are some takeaways in Friday’s Big Dome doubleheader:
1) Arvin Tolentino has been solid for Northport this season and again came through for the team against TNT, finishing with a game-high 29 points, including 22 in the first half that set the tone for the lopsided match. The 28-year-old forward is the second leading scorer in the conference behind Robert Bolick of NLEX, and the way he’s been playing mid-way through the all-Filipino tournament, Tolentino could be a top contender again for the Best Player of the Conference award – and perhaps the MVP race - especially if Northport goes deep in the playoffs.
2) Overshadowed by Tolentino’s fiery showing was sophomore JM Calma posting career highs in points (22) and rebounds (13). The double-double came almost two weeks since the San Sebastian product topped the Obstacle Challenge during the All-Star festivities in Bacolod City. The No. 6 overall pick in the Season 47 draft is in the final year of his two season contract with Northport, but judging the way he’s been playing, expect Calma to be re-signed to a new deal by the Batang Pier management.
3) June Mar Fajardo surprised everyone by wearing a customized mask during the San Miguel-Barangay Ginebra match. It turned out the league’s seven-time MVP suffered a broken nose in the Beermen’s previous game against Phoenix courtesy of Simon Camacho. But mask or no mask, the 34-year-old big man went on with his business, battling Christian Standhardinger and delivering 14 points and 10 rebounds in San Miguel’s fifth straight win over Ginebra this season.
4) Don Trollano is slowly finding his niche at San Miguel just four months since being acquired in a trade with Northport. The 32-year-old wingman scored five of the team’s last seven points including a crucial three pointer in the final three minute mark that spelled the difference for the undefeated Beermen. He finished with 15 points and eight rebounds, while helping contain Ginebra big man Japeth Aguilar on the defensive end, the huge size discrepancy notwithstanding.
5) When healthy, Roger Pogoy is truly one of the league’s top gunners and he showed that Friday as he tried to singlehandedly carry TNT on his shoulders against Northport. The Cebuano guard exploded for 34 points on 7-of-12 shooting from three point range in a losing cause. Pogoy is just a few games back since being diagnosed with myocarditis which made him miss almost the entire eliminations of the last Commissioner’s Cup.
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