The San Miguel Beermen have tied the series up at 2-2 after a 111-101 win in Game 4. Will the Beermen finally take the driver’s seat in the series with another win this Friday? Or, will the Bolts respond and reclaim control again?

Catch this game live on Friday,  June 14, 2024 at 7:30 pm, Manila time.

San Miguel Beermen (2-2)

Projected Starting Five:

• Chris Ross
• CJ Perez
• Marcio Lassiter
• Rodney Brondial
• June Mar Fajardo

June Mar Fajardo didn’t let his momentous day get dashed by another loss to the Bolts, as he put together a monster performance in Game 4 of the finals. The seven-time league MVP and now a 10-time Best Player of the Conference winner got busy on Wednesday and recorded 28 points and 13 rebounds while shooting 9/14 shooting from the field. 

Meralco may have had success against Fajardo in the games prior to Wednesday, but no team is going to completely contain The Kraken, especially in a series, and he reminded everyone of that again in Game 4. Giving Fajardo more touches apparently works wonders too for San Miguel, as the Beermen went to him a lot after he shot just 2/5 in Game 3. The return of Vic Manuel and Terrence Romeo also provided the Beermen a nice boost in Game 4, with the two vets combining for 15 points. San Miguel’s depth seems to have just become a bigger trouble now for Meralco.

Meralco Bolts (2-2)

Projected Starting Five:

• Christopher Banchero
• Allein Maliksi
• Chris Newsome
• Clifford Hodge
• Raymond Almazan

The Bolts wasted a massive performance by Chris Newsome in Game 4. Newsome exploded for 40 points on 12/18 shooting from the field and 14/15 from the free-throw line on Wednesday. Chris Banchero and Cliff Hodge, meanwhile, provided 21 and 17 points, respectively. Meralco got its two wins in this series in large part of Newsome but also because of the team’s defense. However, in Game 4, the Bolts forced the Beermen to commit just five turnovers and let San Miguel win the possession battle. 

Although the Beermen only had one more field goal attempt than the Bolts, that has been a crucial indicator in this series. If the Bolts are to win Game 5 and beyond, they will have to really limit San Miguel’s chances on offense. Meralco was plus-3 on the glass in Game 4 but also had four more turnovers than the Beermen.

Picks

Spread: Meralco Bolts (+5.5)

Over/Under: Over (188.0)