It’s all tied up after two games in the 2022 PBA Philippine Cup after the San Miguel Beermen took Game 2. Will the TNT Tropang Giga regain the series lead? Or, will the Beermen win back-to-back?

Catch this game live on Friday,  August 26 at 5:45 pm, Manila time.

TNT Tropang Giga (1-1)

Projected Starting Five:

• PG: Kib Montalbo
• SG: Mikey Williams
• SF: RR Pogoy
• PF: Kelly Williams
• C: Troy Rosario

Mikey Williams sustained an ankle injury in Game 2, though he was able to eventually play through it. But how good will he be playing on a bum ankle in Game 3? He was only able to score seven points on a salty 3/10 shooting from the field in TNT’s 109-100 loss to San Miguel in Game 2. The good news for the Tropang Giga is that they were still able to reach triple-digit scoring despite Williams clearly not having his usual night. 

RR Pogoy stayed hot with 26 points – the same production he had in the series opener. Jayson Castro sizzled anew with 15 points off the bench after also putting up the same scoring output in Game 1. Perhaps San Miguel just can’t help itself from committing too much on defense to contain Williams at the expense of loosening up a bit on the other shooters like Castro, Pogoy,  and even Kib Montalbo and Troy Rosario. In Game 2, TNT went 13/40 from deep – the team’s third game in a row with at least nine 3-pointers. 

San Miguel Beermen (1-1)

Projected Starting Five:

• PG: Simon Enciso
• SG: CJ Perez
• SF: Marcio Lassiter
• PF: Rodney Brondial
• C: June Mar Fajardo

June Mar Fajardo entered Game 2 averaging 10.9 shots per game. He went just 5/6 from the field for 13 points in Game 2. Fajardo is made of granite and is simply the most unstoppable individual player in the series, so he’s got to get more than just half-a-dozen attempts each game. Then again, Fajardo’s evolved into a much better passer, hence his four assists in Game 2. He let Vic Manuel take over in the frontcourt and Marcio Lassiter get his rhythm. 

Manuel finished the game with 20 points off the bench, while Lassiter shot 8/17 for 19 points.  San Miguel is that deep in terms of firepower, able to score 109 points with Fajardo taking just six shots. Most of the damage done by San Miguel was done in the paint, where the Beermen outscored TNT by a huge margin, 56-38. Basketball can usually come easier for teams like San Miguel when it knows it has great insurance in Fajardo, someone the Beermen could turn to whenever they need a bucket. 

PREDICTION:

Spread: The Beermen (-3) cover.

Over/Under:  The Over (196.0) hits.