The San Miguel Beermen kept the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters at the playoffs train waiting area as they escaped with a win, 89-87.
June Mar Fajardo once again was in his “Kraken” mode as he brought his “A-game” in Cagayan de Oro City.
Fajardo silently delivered a double-double performance with his 23 points and 15 rebounds performance.
One of his highlights was when he made a slam dunk at the 1:08 mark of the fourth quarter where he put his team ahead 89-82.
Fajardo later named as the Best Player of the Game.
The Beermen turned the fourth quarter as a block party as they swatted either a layup or jump shot attempt from their opponent.
That was one of the defensive strategies SMB has employed to secure the victory and gave them a better chance to qualify in the playoffs.
Yet, despite being down by seven points with less than a minute remaining in the game, ROS able to find breath life as they closed the gap to only a basket after the two free-throws of Carl Montgomery.
Beau Belga had the chance to snatch the victory with only 0.5 seconds remaining in regulation but his three-pointer lacks more force to push the ball and hit the bottom of the net.
Rain or Shine rookie Javee Mocon led his team in scoring with 20 markers and eight boards along with his five dimes.
With the victory, SMB has moved up in the 2019 PBA Commissioner’s Cup standings with a 5-5 record while the Elasto Painters got stuck with their five wins as their lose column increased to six.
You Can’t Stop The Kraken One-on-One
San Miguel vs Rain or Shine Box Score
Quarters: 14-18 | 47-44 | 63-67 | 89-87
Beermen (89) – McCullough 24, Fajardo 23, Romeo 13, Ross 7, Santos 7, Cabagnot 6, Pessumal 3, Lassiter 3, Nabong 3, Ganuelas-Rosser 0
Elasto Painters (87) – Mocon 20, Montgomery 18, Nambatac 11, Borboran 9, Daquioag 7, Ponferada 5, Belga 5, Norwood 4, Onwubere 3, Torres 3, Rosales 2