ANTIPOLO, Rizal — San Miguel engineered a remarkable late-game turnaround to edge past NLEX, while Magnolia secured the number-one spot in Group B following a hard-fought victory over Rain or Shine during the PBA Season 50 Governors’ Cup elimination round at the Ynares Center on Wednesday, October 21.
The Beermen erased a 20-point deficit in the final quarter to squeak past the Road Warriors with a thrilling 135-133 triumph. Meanwhile, the Hotshots leaned on their second unit to stave off the Elasto Painters, 107-103, extending their win streak to six games heading into the playoffs.
San Miguel found itself staring at a steep 118-98 disadvantage early in the fourth period before June Mar Fajardo and import George King spearheaded a ferocious scoring surge to lock the score at 133-all with just over a minute left on the clock.
Following a crucial defensive stand, King drove hard to the hoop for the go-ahead basket. NLEX then faltered after Robert Bolick was slapped with an offensive basket interference call with only 5.3 seconds remaining. The Road Warriors still had a final opening to steal the win, but LJ Gonzales misfired on a potential game-winning triple from the corner.
King paced the Beermen with 27 points, nine rebounds, and four blocks, while Fajardo posted 26 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists. Notably, Fajardo achieved a historic milestone in the opening quarter by crossing the 10,000-point threshold after netting his sixth point of the match. Additional scoring support came from Don Trollano with 23 points, Marcio Lassiter with 19, and CJ Perez with 14.
The comeback victory allowed San Miguel to conclude the elimination phase tied with NLEX at a 9-3 win-loss slate. However, the Road Warriors kept the top seed in Group A via a superior quotient, anchored on their 110-96 victory over the Beermen in their previous encounter.
Deonte Burton carried NLEX with a game-high 43 points, accompanied by 20 points from Schonny Winston and a 13-point, 15-assist double-double from Bolick.
In the other fixture, Magnolia relied on its bench depth to hold off Rain or Shine and lock down the premier ranking in Group B. With Zav Lucero sidelined and regular starters logging limited minutes, the Hotshots’ reserves stepped up significantly in the clutch.
Javi Gomez de Liaño capitalized on extended playing time to fire 19 points built on six three-pointers, while Peter Alfaro III and Yukien Andrada chipped in 17 and 11 points, respectively. Import KJ Buffen and Jerom Lastimosa added 16 points apiece for Magnolia, which improved to a 7-3 record and booked a best-of-five quarterfinal pairing against Group A’s fourth-seeded TNT Tropang 5G.
Adrian Nocum led Rain or Shine with 25 points alongside 18 points from Aaron Fuller. The Elasto Painters dropped to a 5-4 card but retain a chance to improve their seeding when they face the Phoenix Fuel Masters on Friday, October 23.