The Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Gin Kings is scheduled for a head-to-head game against the San Miguel Beermen at 6:45 PM on November 8, 2020, live from the AUF Sports Arena and Cultural Center in Angeles City, Pampanga.
Stanley Pringle and Japeth Aguilar provided the firepower while LA Tenorio the stability as the Kings beat TNT Tropang Giga, 85-79, in a battle of erstwhile co-leaders in the PBA bubble.
Pringle notched a team-high 28 points on top of 12 rebounds, Aguilar had his own double-double of 19 and 11, while Tenorio finished with 15 markers and nine assists in leading Ginebra to its third straight win and seventh in nine games overall.
More wins in their last two games and Ginebra would lock in on a top-four spot and moved closer to clinching the top seed in the quarterfinals, which guarantees a twice-to-beat bonus.
Meanwhile, the Beermen was quashed by the surging NLEX Road Warriors, 124-90, dropping to 5-4 with a second straight loss after a 103-110 defeat at the hands of the Phoenix Super LPG Fuel Masters the previous night.
Merely 19 hours from their loss in a tough battle with the Fuel Masters, the Beermen played with shaky legs, and the Road Warriors took advantage, pushing the tempo of the game from the get-go. Paul Zamar led the way for San Miguel with 23 points.
That slide put the Beermen at the seventh-running spot and in a must-win situation against Ginebra and NorthPort on Tuesday just to gain secure passage to the next round.
According to Cone, that desperation on the side of SMB could be used as additional motivation by the defending champion.
“I can’t think of a worst time to play them after they got beaten badly by another opponent. That’s absolutely the worst time to play San Miguel. We’re not looking forward to it, but it’s a challenge, and we’re going to try to take it on. It only takes a couple of days to rest, and they get everything, their legs back. They’re the best team out there,” said Cone.
Expect nothing but a contest of strength later between the “sister teams” in the PBA.