MANILA, Philippines – Can anyone stop red-hot San Miguel from its blistering run in the PBA Philippine Cup?
The rest of the league have their work cut out for them as the perfect Beermen rolled to their seventh straight win following an offensive masterclass in a 120-100 blowout of NorthPort at the PhilSports Arena on Sunday, April 21.
CJ Perez set the tone for San Miguel and churned out 29 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists in their most lopsided victory of the conference.
If anything would be their downfall, it is their tendency for complacency.
Beermen head coach Jorge Gallent underscored the importance of keeping the same level of intensity from start to finish as San Miguel saw its lead that ballooned to as big as 39 points cut to half at the end of the game.
“When we have a big lead, we just tend to relax. So we just have to keep our energy there for 48 minutes,” said Gallent.
“That is my main concern – to keep that energy for 48 minutes and we will be okay.”
Perez joined hands with Marcio Lassiter in the first quarter as they scored 11 points each in the period to help San Miguel build a 36-27 lead.
Lassiter went 3-of-4 from beyond the arc in the opening quarter and ended the game with 4 three-pointers to raise his career total to 1,197 and surpass James Yap (1,194) for fourth place in the PBA all-time list.
With Lassiter catching fire early, the Beermen shot a sizzling 14-of-23 (61%) in the first half as they pulled away for good, building a commanding 72-47 lead.
Keeping its foot on the gas, San Miguel reached the century mark with four minutes left in the third quarter, 100-63, and tasted its biggest lead of the game at 114-75 early in the fourth period off a Don Trollano layup.
Lassiter finished with 14 points, Trollano delivered 13 points off 3 triples, while June Mar Fajardo supplied 12 points and 9 rebounds, falling just a board short of his 15th straight double-double after sitting out early due to the rout.
Mo Tautuaa chimed in 15 points and Simon Enciso added 9 points on a 3-of-6 clip from long distance as the Beermen sank 18 three-pointers overall.
Arvin Tolentino put up 26 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists for the Batang Pier, who crashed to their fourth straight loss after their wonderful 4-1 start to the conference.
The Scores
San Miguel 120 – Perez 29, Tautuaa 15, Lassiter 14, Trollano 13, Fajardo 12, Teng 10, Enciso 9, Brondial 8, Ross 6, Romeo 4, Mallillin 0.
NorthPort 100 – Tolentino 26, Lucero 10, Bulanadi 10, Cuntapay 9, Zamar 8, Adamos 4, Flores 4, Amores 4, Rosales 3, Taha 3, Paraiso 3, Yu 2, Chan 2, Navarro 2.
Quarters: 36-27, 72-47, 105-71, 120-100.
– Rappler.com