ANTIPOLO – Thanks to the solid plays of Rodney Brondial and Mo Tautuaa, San Miguel was able to survive June Mar Fajardo’s extended stint on the bench during a crucial stretch of Game 5 of the PBA Philippine Cup finals against TNT after hurting his knee in the second half of the team’s 96-82 win Friday night.
Fajardo was taken out midway in the third quarter after falling awkwardly on the Ynares Center floor and banging his knee hard on the court.
READ: Brondial double-double leads SMB to Game 5 win, 3-2 lead over TNT
The nine-time MVP accidentally tripped on Brondial, who went down on the floor after being pushed by Poy Erram as they positioned for a rebound play.
Fajardo had just scored underneath the basket for a 60-50 San Miguel lead when the incident happened.
He returned with six minutes remaining in the game and the Beermen under control, 85-73.
In his absence, Brondial and Tautuaa held the fort as they finished with 17 and 11 points, respectively.
Brondial, who added 15 rebounds and was 6-of-8 from the field, played his best game of the finals.
Fajardo finished with 14 points (4-of-6 shooting) and 11 rebounds as the Beermen moved closer to retaining their crown after taking a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series.
His hurting knee is just the latest injury the 6-foot-9 Cebuano has to hurdle in this playoffs as he also sustained a shoulder injury during the semis against Barangay Ginebra.
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