Two of the hottest teams in the PBA right now are scheduled to meet in an out-of-town special this Saturday, with the Phoenix LPG Fuel Masters and the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel clashing in San Jose, Batangas. 

Catch this game live on Saturday,  December 9 at 6:15 pm, Manila time.

Phoenix Super LPG Fuel Masters (5-1)

Projected Starting Five:

• Tyler Tio
• Sean Manganti
• Jason Perkins
• Kenneth Tuffin
• Johnathan Williams

The Fuel Masters are a force to reckon with this conference. Their only blemish so far came at the hands of the Magnolia Hotshots (93-91), unquestionably the best team in the PBA today. Since then, Phoenix has racked up four wins in a row, including a thrilling 99-98 victory against the Converge FiberXers on Dec. 2. 

The Fuel Masters are doing it thanks to their balanced offense and defense. They aren’t bad in either department, ranking third in offensive rating (112.1) and fifth in defensive rating (107.9). Phoenix is a team that doesn’t just let its import do all the work. Johnathan Williams is averaging 26.3 points and 14.2 rebounds per game, but five other Fuel Masters are manufacturing no fewer than 9.2 points per contest. The Fuel Masters are also a dangerous outside shooting squad, relatively speaking, as they’re making 11.0 3-pointers per contest on 36.7 3FG%.

Barangay Ginebra San Miguel (4-1)

Projected Starting Five:

• L.A. Tenorio
• Maverick Ahanmisi
• Jamie Malonzo
• Tony Bishop Jr
• Christian Standhardinger

Like the Fuel Masters, Ginebra’s only loss so far in the conference was versus the Hotshots (107-92). The Barangay have looked unstoppable since, though. They are entering Saturday’s game against Phoenix undefeated in their last four contests, including last Sunday’s 110-99 demolition of the Terrafirma Dyip. 

LA Tenorio made his dramatic comeback after a long absence versus Terrafirma and proved there’s still plenty left in the tank when he scored six points with three assists in nearly 26 minutes of action. Ginebra’s defense is going to be its biggest weapon against Phoenix, as the Barangay are second in the league with 104.0 points allowed per 100 possessions and rank first overall with a 56.7 TRB%. Their size, depth, and versatility of import Tony Bishop all make Ginebra so tough to beat.

PREDICTION:

Spread: Ginebra (-6.0) covers the spread.

Over/Under: The total (197.0) hits the Under.