Perhaps nothing says more about the strangeness of the PBA on Tour than the fact that the San Miguel Beermen and the TNT Tropang Giga are the two worst teams right now. Will the Tropang Giga finally score their first win? Or, do you think the Beermen will finally see their losing ways end?
Catch this game live on Friday, July 7 at 7:30 pm, Manila time.
TNT Tropang Giga (0-5)
Projected Starting Five:
- PG: JD Tungcab
- SG: Paul Varilla
- SF: Carl Bryan Cruz
- PF: Glenn Khobuntin
- C: Dave Marcelo
The Tropang Giga are still winless in the PBA on Tour. It’s so unusual to see TNT being this futile, but then again, nothing prestigious is really on the line in what amounts to be the PBA’s version of the Summer League. In their most recent outing, the Tropang Giga got taken down by sister franchise Meralco Bolts on June 28, 108-90. Even with the losses piling up, the Tropang Giga can still feel good about their chances against the Beermen, who are also on a free fall.
Glenn Khobuntin is producing like prime James Yap in the PBA on Tour, as he is averaging 24.4 points on 49 percent shooting from the field. He is also just coming off a 28-point explosion in the loss to the Bolts. He’s got confidence in his game that could easily manifest against the reeling Beermen. As a team, TNT is averaging 83.8 points per outing.
San Miguel Beermen (2-6)
Projected Starting Five:
- PG: Jayvee Dela Cruz
- SG: Jericho Cruz
- SF: Allyn Bulanadi
- PF: Rodney Brondial
- C: Nonoy Baclao
Like the Tropang Giga, San Miguel is on a five-game losing skid. The Beermen failed to end their slump when they lost to the Blackwater Bossing last Sunday, 103-101. Before that, the Beermen suffered a 102-94 loss at the hands of the NLEX Road Warriors on June 28. Terrence Romeo was not able to play in both those games, and that could be the case again as the Beermen try to be cautious with his health.
Even without Romeo, the Beermen have enough tools in the box to solve the Tropang Giga, who are the lowest-scoring team so far in the PBA on Tour. Conversely, San Miguel is averaging nearly 13 points more per game (96.38 PPG), while also leading the league in rebounds with 51.75 points per outing.
PREDICTION:
Spread: San Miguel (-8.0) covers the spread.
Over/Under: The total (194.0) hits the Over.