No one is yet to win back-to-back games in this series. Will Barangay Ginebra close it out or can the San Miguel Beermen extend it to a Game 7? Ginebra convincingly won Game 5, 121-92.

Catch the game this Friday, October 20th, at 7:30 PM, Manila time.

San Miguel Beermen (2-3)

Projected starting five:

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

The Beermen were all over the place in that brutal, 29-point loss Friday. Excluding EJ Anosike and June Mar Fajardo’s above-60% clip, the guys shot a combined 22-of-60 from the floor, including 6-of-25 from beyond the arc. Collectively, though, SMB turned the ball over 19 times. It’s hard to be close in score with such sloppiness, much less win.

While Anosike and Fajardo are the obvious tandem that needs to guide the ship, especially the latter since he’ll need to be in full ‘Kraken’ mode every game, CJ Perez should look to be better. He couldn’t defend a statue to save his life during Friday’s loss, and much of it was evident by him fouling out in just 28 minutes of play. Perez is a scorer and facilitator, and the effect of his shaky presence could always be felt all throughout the rotation.

In any case, since the group is facing elimination, those three main guys,plus Marcio Lassiter, Terrence Romeo, and Don Trollano should bring a high level of urgency. This is a dynasty, and we’ll see what they’re made of.

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Barangay Ginebra San Miguel (3-2)

Projected starting five:

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

The Gin Kings were simply efficient in their cakewalk victory in Game 5. They were clicking everywhere and just ran through their rival sister team, barely breaking a sweat. 

For once, Ginebra won with Justin Brownlee not being the focal point. He was still solid (18 pts, 9 rebs, 7 ast), same as their conference with no. 2 scorer Japeth Aguilar (15 pts), but it was the two guards who had the floor. Rookie RJ Abarrientos took centerstage with his best pro outing yet, posting a game-high 28 points in under 22 minutes of action. Scottie Thompson was right behind him with 22 points, eight boards, five assists, and a pair of steals. It’s sure to drive momentum for this closeout battle, especially for Abarrientos.

Stephen Holt and Maverick Ahanmisi were hardly relevant on Friday, but given how unpredictable the attack has been, maybe either can pop off as a huge contributor for Game 6. Holt is due for his weekly big game.

PICKS:

Spread: Ginebra (-1.5)

Over/Under: Over (218)

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