ANOTHER win in the book.
Still in its dominant form, scorching top seed San Miguel Beer entered the semifinals after making quick work of No. 8 Rain or Shine, 98-91, eliminating the Painters in yet another impressive showing in the quarterfinals of the 2017 Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup yesterday at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City.
In undoubtedly his best game as a Beermen, RR Garcia shone bright, scoring a game-high 25 points to lead his team’s entry into the next round.
Armed with a twice-to-beat advantage, San Miguel took care of business to be the first team in the semis.
The defending champion will now await the victor between No. 4 TNT KaTropa and No. 5 GlobalPort in their own quarters’ clash and face whoever it is in a best-of-seven semis showdown.
This was San Miguel’s 10th straight victory, dating back to the eliminatiom round as its onslaught just cannot be stopped at the moment.
Right from the first half, San Miguel already took command and established a double-digit lead to set the tone.
After taking a 28-21 edge after one, San Miguel kept its momentum and built several 15-point leads in the second quarter.
By halftime, the Beermen were still comfortably ahead, 51-38.
It’s the same story for most part in the second half until the Elasto Painters tried to save their season with a last-ditch stand towards the end.
Rain or Shine was able to pull within just five, 89-94, with 1:10 left after a Beau Belga basket.
However, Arwind Santos’ insurance putback with 47.2 seconds remaining made it 96-89 and put the Beermen out of harm’s way and into the next round.
As of this report, No. 2-ranked Alaska, with a twice-to-beat advantage, is trying to book a ticket in the last four as it is engaged in a tough tussle against rival Barangay Ginebra, the No. 7 seed.
The action continues today as the other two quarterfinal pairs continue their series.
Higher seeds Star and TNT KaTropa go for the jugular and both shoot for seats in the semis.
Both teams hold 1-0 leads in their respective best-of-three affairs and can both wrap things up with another win.
The No. 3 Hotshots, still red hot with five straight wins, will try to finish off No. 6 Phoenix as they battle in Game 2 of their series at 4:15 p.m. at the Smart Araneta Coliseum today.
Right after, it’s No. 4 Tropang Texters’ turn to try and end their series against No. 5 GlobalPort at 7 p.m.