The Barangay Ginebra San Miguel have finally broken into the win column, and it’s all about sustaining that form for the crowd darlings. Standing in the way of Ginebra next are the Meralco Bolts, who are also coming off their first win in the conference. Will the Barangay keep it going and take down one of their fiercest rivals? Or, will the Bolts hit .500 with a victory?

Catch this game live on Friday,  October 17, 2025 at 7:30 pm, Manila time.

Barangay Ginebra San Miguel (1-1)

Projected Starting Five:

  • Jeremiah Gray
  • Scottie Thompson
  • Stephen Holt
  • Troy Rosario
  • Japeth Aguilar

After getting embarrassed in the most recent installment of Manila Clasico, Ginebra took out its frustration on the TNT Topang 5G on Wednesday. The frontcourt tandem of Japeth Aguilar and Troy Rosario showed the way for the Barangay, as the veteran big men combined for 30 points, 23 rebounds and three blocks. It just shows that while they are aging and past their primes, Aguilar and Rosario can still be game-changers, even against elite teams. 

Meanwhile, Scottie Thompson bounced back from an ugly showing in the loss to the Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots by scoring 10 points and dishing out nine assists versus the Tropang 5G, as RJ Abarrientos chipped in 14 points in 22 minutes off the bench. 

With Maverick Ahanmisi gone, Abarrientos could see an expanded role going forward, as well as Jeremiah Gray, who started against TNT. Ginebra held the Tropang 5G to just 36.5 FG% and forced them to commit 16 turnovers, a great sign for the Barangay’s defense that seemingly has tightened it up heading into the Meralco clash.

Meralco Bolts (1-2)

Projected Starting Five:

  • Chris Banchero
  • CJ Cansino
  • Bong Quinto
  • Cliff Hodge
  • Brandon Bates

A few bounces here and there, and the Bolts probably would have been 3-0 through three games in the conference. Instead, they are 1-2, but at least they have scored their first victory by taking down the Blackwater Bossing on Wednesday, 105-96.

It was a walk-in-the-park type of win for the Bolts, who previously lost to the Titan Ultra Giant Risers and the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters by just a combined margin of five points. In other words, the Bolts may be better than what their record suggests they are. 

Chris Newsome spearheaded a balanced attack for Meralco against the Bossing, as he dropped 22 points on 6/9 shooting from the field, while coming off the bench. Five other Meralco players racked up at least 12 points. There are plenty of reliable contributors for the Bolts, whose deep bench could spell trouble for the Barangay. The Bolts got 65 points from their backups in the win over Blackwater, while Ginebra only got 34 from its secondary players versus TNT. 

Picks

Spread: Meralco (+3.5)

Over/Under: Under (181.0)