SAN Miguel and TNT resume the PBA 50th Season Philippine Cup Finals in an important Game Three on Sunday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
Here is a preview of the tussle:
TNT VS. SAN MIGUEL
When: Sunday, January 25. 7:30 p.m.
Where: Mall of Asia Arena
Going for 2-1 lead
San Miguel and TNT battle for a 2-1 series lead in the Philippine Cup Finals. The Beermen evened the finals on Friday after their 111-92 win over the Tropang 5G in Game 2.
Who is going to step up this time?
Early on, the Philippine Cup Finals has been won by a team whose players stepped up the most. Don Trollano bounced back from his atrocious shooting in Game One when he had 19 points in the win by the Beermen, and Juami Tiongson going off early in Game Two with nine points as a starter. Watch out for another player that would rise to the occasion for Game Three.
Outrebounded badly
One of the reasons for TNT’s defeat in Game Two was rebounding. The Tropang 5G were outrebounded by the Beermen, 50-35, with most rebounds leading to second-chance points which they also lost badly, 19-2. June Mar Fajardo lorded over the glass with 16 rebounds, but he was not alone as Rodney Brondial got back to his usual ways to haul 12.
On the other side, TNT shot just 25-of-71 (35 percent) from the field, and the absence of second-chance points meant that the Tropang 5G had a lot of one-shot possessions.
June Mar, Cjay foul woes
Game Two also saw June Mar Fajardo and Cjay Perez saddled with foul woes. Perez got his third foul as early as midway through the first quarter, and eventually fouled out in the fourth. Fajardo still was a force in Game Two with 17 points and 16 rebounds, while Perez had 10 of his 13 points in the fourth in 21 minutes of action before fouling out. Though SMB won, it is important for Fajardo and Perez to manage their fouls moving forward.
Pogoy watch
RR Pogoy missed the first two games of the series due to a hamstring issue. Pogoy indicated that he will miss the early part of the finals, but with the series now nearly midway, is he primed for a comeback?
Jio Jalalon impact
Jio Jalalon made his TNT finals debut on Friday, and made a splash with his seven-point, seven-assist effort. Jalalon was a key in TNT’s comeback bid from 24 points down when he provided the energy especially in the third quarter. Will he repeat the effort in Game Three?
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
