The Barangay Ginebra San Miguel regained control of the series with a stellar performance in Game 3. Now, the San Miguel Beermen have to respond to keep their backs from getting pressed harder against the wall. Will the Barangay go up 3-1? Or, will the Beermen catch up and level the series at 2-2?
Catch this game live on Wednesday, July 2, 2025 at 5:00 pm, Manila time.
San Miguel Beermen (1-2)
Projected Starting Five:
- Juami Tiongson
- Marcio Lassiter
- Don Trollano
- Rodney Brondial
- June Mar Fajardo
The Beermen have time to find the right approach to the Ginebra series with June Mar Fajardo not in his top form. Fajardo has a lower-body issue that’s slowing him down. The eight-time PBA Most Valuable Player still generated 12 points and 14 rebounds in the 100-90 loss to Ginebra in Game 3 despite his injury, but the Barangay took advantage of his situation, especially in the second half, by speeding up the game and attacking right away after securing possessions.
On the bright side, Don Trollano continues to have a good series, as he dropped 22 points on an efficient 9-for-14 shooting from the field with a couple of 4-pointers. He’s shown that the offense can run through him when Fajardo and CJ Perez are off the floor or even when alongside those two stars. Meanwhile, Marcio Lassiter, after scoring 16 points in Game 2, only had five points on 2-for-8 shooting in Game 3. A remnant of San Miguel’s “Death Five,” Lassiter continues to have a significant role on the Beermen’s offense, given his ability to stretch the floor.
Barangay Ginebra San Miguel (2-1)
Projected Starting Five:
- Scottie Thompson
- Stephen Holt
- Jamie Malonzo
- Troy Rosario
- Japeth Aguilar
Like a boxer targeting his opponent’s bloody cut, the Barangay took advantage of a less-than-100-percent Fajardo in the second half with a blistering pace on offense. RJ Abarrientos ran circles around San Miguel, finishing with 24 points on 9-for-19 shooting from the field. When he was not getting buckets, Abarrientos was busy setting the table for his teammates, often in transition, as he had eight assists. That was pretty much the story of the night for Ginebra, which drained 40 shots from the floor on 26 assists and recorded 15 fastbreak points.
Alongside versatile and athletic weapons like Japeth Aguilar and Jamie Malonzo, Abarrientos and Thompson have been finding ways to attack San Miguel’s interior defense via pick and rolls and by just dancing through screens before making decisions on the fly with the ball. The playmaking abilities of Abarrientos and Scottie Thompson is giving San Miguel big headaches, which is also why Ginebra can’t be counted out even when down big (e.g., Game 1) and always are tough to overcome when it gets the lead (e.g,. Game 3).
Picks
Spread: San Miguel (-3.5)
Over/Under: Over (185.5)
