SAN Miguel and TNT face lowly foes on a rainy Saturday in the PBA 50th Season Governors’ Cup at Ynares Center-Montalban.
In this preview, we explain why June Mar Fajardo is still vital for the Beermen even with his scoring numbers down, and why Henry Galinato is important to Tropang 5G.
TNT VS. TITAN ULTRA
When: Saturday, August 8. 5:15 p.m.
Where: Ynares Center-Montalban
Where they are
TNT is in third-place in team standings of Group A with a 3-3 record, behind NLEX (6-1) and San Miguel (5-2), while Macau is tied with Titan Ultra at last-place with a 2-5 record.
Titan eyes repeat win
Titan Ultra seeks an elimination round sweep of TNT. The Giant Risers defeated the Tropang 5G, 103-87, last July 22 in their first round encounter, one of their two wins this conference.
Titan Ultra is coming off a 132-128 loss to Macau last Tuesday, and needs to get back on track in the race for quarterfinal berths.
Shooting decline
After a huge overtime win against San Miguel, TNT failed to sustain its form after losing to NLEX, 88-83, last Tuesday. Although they have won two of their last three games, the Tropang 5G have shot below 40-percent during that stretch.
Galinato missed on the boards
Galinato skipped TNT’s game against NLEX after sustaining an injury during the San Miguel game, and was sorely missed.
Prior to that, Galinato had hit double-digits in rebounds for three straight games, including 11 against the Beermen, as well as 11 vs. Converge on top of 12 points. It is still unclear if Galinato will already be available against Titan Ultra.
MACAU VS. SAN MIGUEL
When: Saturday, August 8. 7:30 p.m.
Where: Ynares Center-Montalban
Going for second straight win
San Miguel tries to win its second straight game against Macau. The Beermen were coming off a 126-114 victory over Converge last Wednesday.
SMB is also going for an elims sweep of the Giant Pandas after beating them, 123-109, in their conference opener. Another win will close the the gap with group leader NLEX.
Macau loses ‘Giant’ match-up
Macau suffered a 132-128 defeat at the hands of Titan Ultra last Tuesday. The two teams are in a deadlock at last place in Group A, making their respective matches against separate opponents vital.
King, Perry duel
George King and De’Vondre Perry face each other after surpassing the 40-point mark in their previous games. King had 46 points in the win over Converge, while Perry tallied 45 in the victory over Titan Ultra, showing the scoring prowess they have consistently shown this conference.
King is averaging 36.4 points per game after his second 40-point outing, while making 52-percent of his shots. Perry is averaging 33.3 points on an equally impressive 51-percent from the field.
June Mar lords it over in the paint
Fajardo is only averaging 8.7 points through six games with the Beermen, but that doesn’t mean he is not making an impact.
On Wednesday, Fajardo hit a double-double with conference-highs 21 rebounds and 10 assists in the win over Converge. Macau, a team that is giving up 55.6 rebounds per game, will face Fajardo for the first time this conference, as the nine-time MVP sat out their first round clash. The Giant Pandas will have to work double-time to prevent Fajardo from dominating the paint.
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