MERALCO will try to seize a 3-1 lead in the PBA 48th Season Philippine Cup finals when it plays San Miguel on Independence Day at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
The Bolts defeated the Beermen, 93-89, in Game Three with Chris Newsome scoring 26 points and nailing the pivotal three-pointer late in the contest.
Meralco could move one step closer to its first-ever PBA crown with another victory on Wednesday, but San Miguel surely wouldn't allow it to happen.
Here are some of the keys to Game Four.
Meralco vs. San Miguel
Bolts lead series, 2-1
When: Wednesday, June 12. 7:30 p.m.
Where: Smart-Araneta Coliseum
Watch: RPTV, PBA Rush, Pilipinas Live
JUNE MAR LIMITED IN GAME 3
June Mar Fajardo being limited to five attempts was one of the stories of Game Three. Fajardo also committed seven turnovers in the contest no thanks to the defense of Meralco. Fajardo still had 12 points and 15 rebounds in Game Three, but it looks like San Miguel might need more from the seven-time PBA MVP.
TAUTUAA PRODUCTION
A welcome development for San Miguel in Game Three was the production of Mo Tautuaa, who had a team-high 19 points. A repeat of Tautuaa’s numbers and even other bigs stepping up such as Rodney Brondial and even Vic Manuel could ease the pressure on Fajardo in Game Four.
MERALCO BENCH
If there’s room for improvement for Meralco after Game Three, it’s their bench production.
The Bolts were badly outscored in bench production, 47-14. Meralco didn’t get enough from guys such as Anjo Caram, who was held scoreless, with Allein Maliksi finishing with eight points but shot just 2-of-7 from the field.
Jeron Teng also chipped in for San Miguel off the bench with 10 points.
NEWSOME SCORING
For Meralco to gain a 3-1 lead in the series, Chris Newsome’s scoring must continue to be consistent. In the two wins that Meralco won, Newsome averaged 22 points per game. The Meralco star had 14 in their Game Two defeat.
OTHER PLAYERS TO WATCH
Raymond Almazan’s performance is another metric to Meralco’s chances of winning Game Four. Almazan has averages of 12.5 points and 10 rebounds in the two victories of the Bolts.
Don Trollano had 11 points in Game Three, but we haven’t seen his three-point prowess in the finals with a total of just two the entire series.
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