ANTIPOLO — San Miguel still took care of business even without two of its most important figures by keeping Macau winless, 123-109, for a triumphant PBA Season 50 Governors’ Cup debut at the Ynares Center here Tuesday.
The Beermen were without head coach Leo Austria due to personal reasons and June Mar Fajardo rested out from Gilas duties, and their absences seemed to be a problem when they found themselves getting off to a tepid start.
But they began chipping away at the deficit come the second chapter, turned it around come the ensuing period, and then broke away wide come the payoff period as the Giant Pandas struggled to readjust, ultimately melting down.
The troika of Jericho Cruz, Rodney Brondial, and George King joined hands for the 11-0 run that inflated their lead to 108-93 heading into the game’s last six minutes, and that proved to be enough for SMB to put it away,
A total of seven players scored in double figures in the win, with King showing the way with 30 points, five rebounds, and seven assists for a solid PBA return.
