SAN MIGUEL and Rain or Shine will look to tie their respective PBA 49th Season Philippine Cup semifinal series against separate opponents on Wednesday at the series returns to the Mall of Asia Arena.
For Game 4, June Mar Fajardo and Kim Aurin are among the players on the spotlight. Here is a preview of Wednesday’s semifinals doubleheader.
BARANGAY GINEBRA VS. SAN MIGUEL
When: Wednesday, July 2. 5 p.m.
Where: SM Mall of Asia Arena
Ginebra eyeing 3-1 lead
Ginebra goes for a 3-1 lead against San Miguel on Wednesday at the Mall of Asia Arena. The Gin Kings took the series advantage after a 100-90 win over the Beermen in Game 3.
Is June Mar getting more minutes again in Game 4?
June Mar Fajardo saw his playing time ramped up in Game 3, playing 27 minutes and 11 seconds and producing 12 points and 14 rebounds off the bench. The eight-time MVP is dealing with a slight tear in his calf, but with the playing time that he got in Game 3 and with a two-day rest before Game 4, there is a chance that Fajardo would play his usual minutes pre-injury with the Beermen looking to avoid going down 1-3 in this best-of-seven semifinals.
Mo Tautuaa foul woes
Perhaps a reason why June Mar Fajardo played extended minutes was because Mo Tautuaa got himself in early foul trouble. He already had three fouls at halftime, and eventually finished with eight points and five rebounds, failing to replicate his 10-point, five-rebound outing in Game 3.
SMB firing blanks
San Miguel struggled to find its mark from threes in Game 3 when it only made 3-of-28, a huge drop from its 12-of-27 clip in Game 2. Don Trollano was among the players who couldn’t hit their shots after going 0-of-3. Marcio Lassiter, who was the leading scorer in Game 2 after finishing with 16 points on 4-of-5 from threes, only went 1-of-5 in Game 3.
What will RJ Abarrientos do for an encore?
RJ Abarrientos is coming off Game 3 where he had 24 points, eight rebounds, and nine assists. This conference, Abarrientos is averaging eight points per game after the four matches that he scored 20 points or more. If he goes for 20 or more again in Game 4, there is a good chance that Ginebra can put Game 4 away.
RAIN OR SHINE VS. TNT
When: Wednesday, July 2. 7:30 p.m.
Where: SM Mall of Asia Arena
Rain or Shine goes for a series deadlock
Rain or Shine finally got its act together in its series against TNT with a 107-86 victory in Game 3. The Elasto Painters continued the trend of winning Game 3 in a semifinal series against TNT this season, but now, they want to end the trend of losing the next two games against TNT after a Game 3 victory.
RR Pogoy a question mark
Going to Game 4, RR Pogoy remains a question mark with TNT coach Chot Reyes saying after Sunday’s game that he remains ‘very doubtful’ for Wednesday’s game due to a hamstring injury.
Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser makes little impact in Game 3
Following two games where he averaged 10.5 points and 10 rebounds, Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser was a non-factor in Game 3 when he only had two points and three rebounds while playing just 13 minutes and 55 seconds.
Free throws
Free throws could again be a story in Game 4 following Sunday’s game where TNT only attempted three. TNT coach Chot Reyes reasoned that the lack of free throws was due to the Tropang 5G lacking aggressiveness against the Elasto Painters team that wanted Game 3 more. After going 20-of-34 in Game 2, Rain or Shine had a better output after shooting 16-of-18 from the stripe.
Kim Aurin in the spotlight
Eyes will also be on Kim Aurin in Game 4 after he was given an earful by TNT coach Chot Reyes due to a bad foul in the final seconds of the second quarter of Sunday’s game. Aurin must bounce back after he contributed seven points, two rebounds, four assists, one steal, and one block in Game 2, even earning praises from Reyes during the postgame press conference for his solid showing.
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