Beermen inch closer to twice to beat advantage with win over Mixers
The San Miguel Beermen are close to joining the Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters as the top two in the elimination round of the 2014 PBA Commissioner's Cup after their 97-88 over the hot-and-cold San Mig Super Coffee Mixers, Saturday night at the Mall of Asia Arena.
SMB import Kevin Jones led all scorers and rebounders with 26 and 16 in the game while the Mixers' import James Mays only chipped in 15 points and 14 rebounds.
San Mig Super Coffee head coach Tim Cone only played his import for 30 minutes compared to 42 for Jones.
Marcio Lassiter bounced back from a bad game in their last outing with 19 points and four assists while Chris Ross chipped in 16 points, four assists, and two steals.
Marc Pingris checked out after playing only 14 minutes in the game as he complained of a pain on his rib area. In his absence, the Mixers lost a big to match up with the Beermen’s imposing frontline. Ian Sangalang tried his best to make up for Pingris’ absence but the rookie’s 13 points and four rebounds were not enough to lead the Mixers to victory.
The Beermen threatened to break the game wide open early in the third quarter after building an 18-point advantage. However, triples from PJ Simon and James Yap kept the Mixers within striking distance.
The Mixers had another run in the fourth quarter which bought the Beermen’s lead down to a single digit but they could not come up with a decisive run to tie the game or take the lead.
Another win for the Beerman will seal their place in the top two. Alaska and San Mig Super Coffee could still force a tie if they sweep the rest of their games coupled with a San Miguel Beer loss. Alaska and San Mig Super Coffee however will still face each other which means the worst place the Beermen could get is a playoff for the second spot.
The Main Man: Kevin Jones is not the flashiest import in the league. Technically speaking, his jump shot is not fundamentally sound. But he’s bringing in the numbers for San Miguel Beer and that is all that matters. Jones scored his 26 points on an efficient 11 of 21 shooting from the field. He also scored most of his points outside the shaded area to give June Mar Fajardo enough room to operate.
Jones also played good defense by grabbing 16 rebounds and forcing his San Mig Super Coffee counterpart James Mays to shoot an atrocious six of 16 from the field.
The X Factor: The San Miguel Beermen are in the position they are in right now because two players elevated their games this conference. Lassiter, when he’s one, is one of the deadliest two guards in the league. He has good handles and can finish inside or shoot from outside. Ross on the other hand is a tireless defender at the point guard position. He much improved touch from three has also been a welcome development for his team. They combined for 35 points and eight assists in the game to support their import.
Game Turning Point: With less than eight minutes in the third quarter, Ross stole the ball from Simon and cruised to an easy fastbreak layup. Ross scored again in the following play to give his team a 63-45 lead.
The Mixers did get close but the distance the Beermen got was enough to keep their opponents at bay.
He said it:
SMB team consultant Todd Purves: "To be honest, I didn't know how we would come out after two weeks. [The break] was out of our routine so we used that time wisely to prepare for the two-time champions. Until proven otherwise, they're the team to beat."
