ALL-OUT WAR AMONG SMB, GINEBRA, ROS FOR LAST TWO TWICE-TO-BEAT ADVANTAGES

THE PBA 49th Season Philippine Cup elimination round comes to a close with two more teams joining NLEX and Magnolia in the top four and gaining a twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinal round.

Of the four teams that are playing, it’s San Miguel, Barangay Ginebra, and Rain or Shine that are still in contention for the bonus, while NorthPort is out to play the spoilers’ role on Sunday at the Ynares Center-Antipolo.

Here is a preview of the games.

NORTHPORT VS. SAN MIGUEL

When: Sunday, June 15. 5 p.m.

Where: Ynares Center-Antipolo

San Miguel guns for twice-to-beat

San Miguel is looking to finally claim the twice-to-beat incentive in its matchup against NorthPort. The Beermen are currently in a share of third-place with Ginebra in the standings with a 7-3 record. Their bid to secure the quarterfinal bonus was thwarted, at least for the meantime, when they were beaten by Converge, 100-97, last Wednesday.

How important is the game for SMB

A San Miguel victory will give it the No. 1 seed and a twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals. But a loss will send the Beermen down to as low as No. 5 - if Ginebra also ends up winning over Rain or Shine in the second game.

READ: 1-seed within reach for SMB but can go as low as 5

Giant-killers

NorthPort will look to finish the eliminations on a high note by beating another big fish. In its previous game, the Batang Pier defeated top team NLEX, 113-108, last Wednesday to improve to a 2-8 record. They will try to do it again versus San Miguel.

Fired blanks

In their game against Converge, San Miguel uncharacteristically shot poorly in the first half when they made just 29-percent from the field, leading to the Beermen trailing by as many as 18 points.

PHOTO: Mark Cristino

They bounced back by making 61-percent from the field in the third and outscoring the FiberXers, 31-17, in that quarter. But Converge’s confidence was already high at that point, and was able to weather the storm. SMB must not give NorthPort any morale boost that could give it the opening to pull off the upset.

Calvin Abueva getting comfortable with NorthPort

San Miguel must contain Calvin Abueva in order to avoid an upset. Abueva has been playing well for the Batang Pier over the last two games, and he had 19 points, eight rebounds, three assists, and five steals against NLEX.

RAIN OR SHINE VS. BARANGAY GINEBRA

When: Sunday, June 15. 7:30 p.m.

Where: Ynares Center-Antipolo

Out for twice-to-beat advantage

Ginebra and Rain or Shine square off in search of a twice-to-beat bonus in the quarterfinals.

READ: Ginebra can still lose twice-to-beat if this happens

While Ginebra only needs to win, Rain or Shine must not only come out victorious, but also meet the required margin to claim the incentive. If San Miguel wins against NorthPort, the Elasto Painters must win by 15 points or more. If the Batang Pier upset the Beermen, RoS must win by 14 points or more.

Previous game

Ginebra walloped TNT, 97-78, last June 8 to improve its record to 7-3, while Rain or Shine was beaten by San Miguel, 120-111, last June 7 to go down to 6-5.

Which team can assert their style of play

Ginebra was a defensive force against TNT when the former limited the latter to 38-percent from the field, while also dominating the defensive boards, 30-18 - things that the Gin Kings must repeat against Rain or Shine.

PHOTO: Mark Cristino

Even though they lost to San Miguel the last time out, the Elasto Painters were still able to display their fast-paced style that led to a 111-point total, including 15 fastbreak points. They were also able to come back from a 25-point deficit using their style of play that they need to show again in their game against the Gin Kings.

Scottie doing the dirty work

Scottie Thompson only had five points in the game against TNT, but don’t let that low scoring production fool you, as he had a lot of contributions by grabbing 10 rebounds and coming away with five steals against the Tropang 5G. Against Magnolia, Thompson had a similar stat line when he had five points, 11 rebounds, and one steal.

19 threes in a loss

Rain or Shine will have to continue to make its threes for it to get a chance at beating Ginebra. In their previous game, the Elasto Painters made 19 threes, but still ended up losing to San Miguel. They need those threes to keep on coming especially with RoS needing a wide margin to claim the twice-to-beat.

2025-06-15T06:18:19Z