The 2022 PBA Governors’ Cup Finals series is now even after the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel took Game 2. That means we are headed to very tense Game 3, with these teams looking to wrestle away the control in the series from each other. 

Catch this game live on Sunday,  April 10 at 6:30 pm, Manila time.

The Barangay Ginebra San Miguel (1-1)

Projected Starting Five:

  • PG: LA Tenorio
  • SG: Scottie Thompson
  • SF: Justin Brownlee
  • PF: Christian Standhardinger
  • C: Japeth Aguilar (questionable)

The Barangay are back in business. Ginebra avoided a 0-2 hole by taking Game 2 of the series in a 99-93 win Friday night at the Mall of Asia Arena. Justin Brownlee was not going to be stopped from wreaking havoc in that game, scoring an efficient 36 points on 12/18 shooting from the field. But the real key for the Barangay was simply the local support. Four Ginebra locals scored at least 10 points, including Scottie Thompson, who had 16 points and 12 rebounds. Christian Standhardinger also double-doubled with 12 points and 11 rebounds. 

The momentum is now on the side of the Barangay and that’s dangerous for Meralco, who will be facing the pressure of a confident Ginebra crowd this coming Sunday. The Barangay’s aggressiveness has been paying off in the series. They have  20 more made free throws on 20 more attempts from the foul line than Meralco through two games. Japeth Aguilar was still absent in Game 2, and it remains unclear when will he be able to play, but winning Game 2 increases Ginebra’s chances of seeing the athletic big man play before the conclusion of the conference.

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The Meralco Bolts (1-1)

Projected Starting Five:

  • PG: Aaron Black
  • SG: Chris Newsome
  • SF: Allein Maliksi
  • PF: Tony Bishop
  • C: Raymond Almazan

Allein Maliksi went from hero to zero in a snap. After going off for 22 points in Game 1, Maliksi ghosted Meralco with a zero-point performance in Game 2. He simply couldn’t buy a basket in the loss, shooting 0/7 from the field. What made it even worse for the Bolts was Chris Newsome having a salty shooting night as well. Newsome finished with just seven points on 3/2 shooting. Tony Bishop led Meralco on Friday with 31 points (13/22 FG), so at least the Bolts’ import is still being productive. Maliksi will just have to keep on shooting. 

At the very least, he still spreads the floor well for Meralco, which continues to dominate the possession battle. The Bolts are outshooting Ginebra from the field so far in the series. Those extra possessions will be crucial for Meralco the rest of the way, regardless of how they generate them. In Game 2, the Bolts were +13 in shots taken from the field in large part because of their defense that forced 20 Ginebra turnovers. Meanwhile, Aaron Black continues to shine in the grand stage, doubling his Game 1 production with 24 points in Game 2. Allein Maliksi went from hero to zero in a snap. After going off for 22 points in Game 1, Maliksi ghosted Meralco with a zero-point performance in Game 2. He simply couldn’t buy a basket in the loss, shooting 0/7 from the field. What made it even worse for the Bolts was Chris Newsome having a salty shooting night as well. Newsome finished with just seven points on 3/2 shooting. Tony Bishop led Meralco on Friday with 31 points (13/22 FG), so at least the Bolts’ import is still being productive. Maliksi will just have to keep on shooting. 

At the very least, he still spreads the floor well for Meralco, which continues to dominate the possession battle. The Bolts are outshooting Ginebra from the field so far in the series. Those extra possessions will be crucial for Meralco the rest of the way, regardless of how they generate them. In Game 2, the Bolts were +13 in shots taken from the field in large part because of their defense that forced 20 Ginebra turnovers. Meanwhile, Aaron Black continues to shine in the grand stage, doubling his Game 1 production with 24 points in Game 2. 

PREDICTION:

Spread:

Maliksi can’t be laying an egg again this time. The Bolts managed to make a game in last Friday’s outing despite being down by over 20 points at one point, and they did that with Maliksi and Newsome misfiring left and right. Expecting the Bolts to simply be better and keep the pressure up again on defense. Taking Meralco to cover (+2.5).

Over/Under: Meralco steps it up anew on offense, while Ginebra continues to get to the line a lot. Taking the Over here (190.0)