PBA: George King powers San Miguel to 30-point demolition of Terrafirma

George King ignited from deep to help San Miguel boost its chances for Group A top seed after annihilating Terrafirma, 135-105, in the PBA Season 50 Governors' Cup on Wednesday at Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

King spearheaded the Beermen with a whopping 44 points, 16 points from the four-point line and a perfect shooting from three-point area in a performance that also featured five rebounds and five assists.

The quarterfinals-bound Beermen recovered from a 116-98 whipping from defending champion TNT last Saturday to improve to an 8-3 card while the also-ran Dyip sank to 4-7.

"Since yesterday, during our huddle, I've tried to remind them that this game is really important for us. We want to bounce back from our loss last game...for us to maintain our position at Top 2," San Miguel head coach Leo Austria said.

"We have a chance to get into the No. 1, but the good thing is the players, after a bad start, they realized the importance of the game."

Terrafirma managed to keep up with the Beermen early in the game, but also immediately lost steam by the second quarter as 9-time MVP June Mar Fajardo dropped 13 of his 25 points in the second frame, where SMB scored 36 compared to the Dyip's 20.

Fajardo also finished with a double-double performance with 12 rebounds.

Then King took over the scoring duties in the third quarter, firing three four-pointers to single handedly contribute 20 points in the said frame to keep San Miguel in the lead.

CJ Perez and Jeron Teng took turns in the final frame to wrap up the lopsided affair. Perez finished with 22 points, five rebounds, three assists, and a steal.

SMB got all the help it needed with Don Trollano delivering off the bench with 13 points, making the most of his minutes with a 71.4 percent field goal percentage.

"Crucial sa'min 'yung standing 'pag natalo kami, magiging magulo 'yung standing namin so kailangan naming i-secure 'yung panalong 'to. Credit sa teammates ko at sa coaching staff," Fajardo added.

With nothing left to lose, Justin Strings tried to keep Terrafirma afloat to no avail even after chipping in 28 points and nine rebounds. Maverick Ahanmisi also flirted with double-double with 23 points, nine assists, six rebounds, and a pair of steals.

Scores:

San Miguel 135 – King 44, Fajardo 25, Perez 22, Trollano 13, Lassiter 8, Teng 7, Cruz 5, Hernandez 5, Calma 4, Cahilig 2, Ross 0, Tautuaa 0, Brondial 0, Mantua 0.

Terrafirma 105 – Strings 28, Ahanmisi 23, Umali 12, Tiongson 10, Chiu 8, Bravo 5, Adamos 5, Miller 4, Eriobu 2, Paraiso 2, Mariano 2, Zaldivar 2, Hanapi 2, Garcia 0, Catapusan 0.

Quarters: 28-27, 64-47, 105-80, 135-105.

—JKC, GMA News