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The Barangay Ginebra San Miguel stole Game 1 with a huge comeback, but can they score another win and bury the San Miguel Beermen in a deeper hole? Or will the Beermen deny Ginebra to tie it all up at 1-1?

Catch this game live on Friday,  June 27, 2025 at 5:00 pm, Manila time.

San Miguel Beermen (0-1)

Projected Starting Five:

  • Chris Ross
  • CJ Perez
  • Don Trollano
  • Rodney Brondial
  • June Mar Fajardo

San Miguel needs to have a short memory, as the Beermen look to get back at Ginebra, which erased an 18-point deficit in the first half of Game 1 before pulling off a 73-71 victory. Amid that frustrating Beermen loss is the uncertainty about the status of their superstar big man, June Mar Fajardo, who only had six points but dominated the glass with 19 boards. 

Fajardo reportedly dealt with a calf issue in Game 1 and had to undergo an MRI after, putting his availability for Game 2 in jeopardy. If Fajardo gets ruled out for Friday’s game, it will be a tough blow to San Miguel, as there is not one individual who can cover the void he’d potentially leave on the floor.  But such a scenario isn’t the end of the world for the Beermen either. They still have CJ Perez, who generated 21 points in Game 1, plus  Juami Tiongson and Jericho Cruz, who scored 12 points apiece.

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Barangay Ginebra San Miguel (1-0)

Projected Starting Five:

  • Scottie Thompson
  • RJ Abarrientos 
  • Stephen Holt
  • Troy Rosario
  • Japeth Aguilar

Ginebra gave its fans a reason to celebrate with their trademark come-from-behind victory in Game 1, as the Barangay found a way to overcome a big deficit on their way to snatching the 1-0 series lead. Greatly limiting Fajardo’s offense was a mission the Barangay succeeded in, and it appears that there’s a chance they won’t have to deal with him at all in Game 2. An absence by Fajardo will further unleash Ginebra’s capabilities on both ends of the floor, with Japeth Aguilar becoming a bigger threat.

Aguilar had a fantastic Game 1, scoring 18 points to go along with nine baords and a block. The backcourt tandem of Scottie Thompson and RJ Abarrientos did damage in different ways. While Thompson scored 16 points and grabbed eight rebounds while shooting 6-for-9, Abarrientos made up for his salty 1-for-12 shooting by dishing out a game-high seven dimes. Abarrientos will not shoot that poorly for an entire series, as he’s due for a good shooting night at some point in the semifinals. 

Picks

Spread: San Miguel (-4.0)

Over/Under: Over (182.5)

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