SMB reclaims PBA Cup PH championship
A 119-97 rout of TNT was won by San Miguel Beer on Sunday night in front of 15,195 spectators at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, reclaiming the PBA Philippine Cup championship.
The Beermen completely overcame Jayson Castro’s third-quarter surge, which included him outscoring the entire SMB team, 19-18, in front of what may have been the first standing-room only crowd for a basketball game in the arena during the Covid-19 pandemic. They then opened the fourth quarter with a 17-0 run and never looked back.
In the final quarter, the Beermen defeated the Tropang Giga 35-8.
SMB was led by CJ Perez, who finished with 25 points, three rebounds, seven assists, one steal, and one block. SMB won the championship for the second time in three years.
Adding 19 points, 18 rebounds, and 5 assists were June Mar Fajardo.
For TNT, Castro finished with 32 points, 10 rebounds, and 8 assists. On a night when Coach Chot Reyes entered the PBA’s health and safety regulations and Poy Erram was disqualified for a Flagrant Foul Penalty 2 in the second quarter, TNT was unable to win back-to-back championships.
After scoring 17 points in the opening quarter, Mikey Williams scored 22 more points but was limited to just five the rest of the way.
