UPDATE: THIS GAME HAS BEEN POSTPONED DUE TO HEALTH AND SAFETY PROTOCOLS.
Sister teams San Miguel Beermen and Barangay Ginebra San Miguel cross paths for the first time this conference on Sunday afternoon. The Beermen are on a three-game win streak, while the Barangay are hoping to pull off back-to-back wins.
Catch this game live on August 1 at 4:35 pm, Manila time.
The San Miguel Beermen (3-1)
Projected Starting Five:
- PG: Chris Ross
- SG: Alex Cabagnot
- SF: Marcio Lassiter
- PF: Arwin Santos
- C: Junemar Fajardo
The Beermen have seemingly gotten their rhythm after stumbling right out of the gate with a dominant 99-80 win over the lackluster Blackwater Bossing. That’s now three wins in a row for Junemar Fajardo and the Beermen. Speaking of Fajardo, the six-time PBA MVP had 16 points and 11 rebounds against Blackwater.
All except Chris Ross, who scored five points, put up at least 12 points against Bossing. San Miguel’s offense is humming right now, with Fajardo getting his legs back. In fact, the Beermen are leading the league this conference with 96.0 points per game and also tops in points per shot (1.05) and points per possession (1.06). In other words, San Miguel isn’t just impressing with raw scoring performances but in offensive efficiency as well.
The Beermen are doing all that of late without Terrence Romeo, who could possibly return from an injury this Sunday. It’s something that should be monitored ahead of the game. San Miguel defeated the Barangay in the last matchup of these two teams, 81-66, back in November 2020.
The Barangay Ginebra San Miguel (2-2)
Projected Starting Five:
- PG: LA Tenorio
- SG: Scottie Thompson
- SF: Stanley Pringle
- PF: Japeth Aguilar
- C: Christian Standhardinger
Christian Standhardinger saved the day for Ginebra on Friday, as he scored the game-winning putback basket to give the Barangay an 87-85 win over the NorthPort Batang Pier. The Barangay are now back in business after suffering a loss to the Magnolia Hotshot in the Manila Clasico. Ginebra is looking for consistency.
The team has yet to put together consecutive wins this conference, and its close win over NorthPort was far from satisfying in the eyes of Tim Cone. Standhardinger finished with 13 points and 12 rebounds while Japeth Aguilar added 15 points and eight boards. Ginebra’s frontcourt could give Fajardo his toughest matchup among all PBA teams, but that’s hardly the only problem the Beermen will have to deal with in this game.
LA Tenorio and Stanley Pringle are also in the zone after combining for 44 points, 10 rebounds, and 12 assists in the NorthPort game. Ginebra, which is averaging 84.25 points per game this conference, is 3-1 in its last four meetings against the Beermen, dating back to 2019.
PREDICTION:
Ginebra’s offense is more problematic than it seems. The Barangay is both below league average in points per possession and points per shot. That and the Beermen’s above-average defense will key a win here for San Miguel. I’m taking the Beermen to win by at least five points.
