The intense semifinals series is tied at one apiece. Who will take the crucial Game 3?

Catch the game this Sunday, October 13th, at 5:00 PM, Manila time.

San Miguel Beermen (1-1)

Projected starting five:

• Jericho Cruz
• CJ Perez
• EJ Anosike
• Marcio Lassiter
• June Mar Fajardo

Though fatigue is visibly catching up, the Beermen were able to rise to the occasion in Game 2, tying it in a 131-125 shootout. True to the sport, it took a whole lot of stepping up from plenty of guys.

Import EJ Anosike led the pack with 39 points, and more followed. CJ Perez filled the statsheet with 29 points, 12 rebounds, and seven assists, while June Mar Fajardo powered his way for his patented 20-20 game, posting 23 points and 21 boards, which becomes even better since also dished out six assists. The welcomed surprise, meanwhile, was Terence Romeo having a vintage performance, as he came off the bench to chip in 26 points, including a perfect 5-of-5 from the three-point line – it was enough to make up for the quiet production from the rest of the second unit.

The win is big as it will generate some much-needed confidence for SMB, who are just plowing through obstacle after obstacle. Whether it’s something they can build off of, however, is still up in the air. As seen in the points they’ve given up (122 and 125), their defense has been atrocious.

Barangay Ginebra San Miguel (1-1)

Projected starting five:

• Scottie Thompson
• Maverick Ahanmisi
• Stephen Holt
• Justin Brownlee
• Japeth Aguilar

Ginebra was due for a loss after four-straight wins, which dates back from the quarterfinals, and so they did. They faced a deeply talented opponent whose urgency is at a high, and they just couldn’t match that type of intensity. All things considered, though, the Barangay looked fine. It was a six-point loss against an opponent that had plenty of solid outings.

Justin Brownlee and Japeth Aguilar were Ginebra’s 1-2 punch yet again, with the former having a game-high 39 points to go along 15 rebounds and seven assists, and the latter scoring 29 on 11-of-17 shooting. Scottie Thompson shot horribly (6/17), but had a double-double of 16 points and 10 assists.

Game 1’s co-headliner, Stephen Holt, was okay at best as went 5-of-12 from the field for 14 points, a terrible sequel to his 30-point night in the opener. In any case, such has been in the Gin Kings’ Governor’s Cup journey: Brownlee and Aguilar being the top guys, and Holt being quiet after coming off a great game.

Rookie RJ Abarrientos was especially horrendous with four points on 1-of-9 shooting without a single assist. He has to be more consistent too, particularly with his decision-making.

PICKS:

Spread: Ginebra (-3.5)

Over/Under: Over (214.5)