San Miguel reclaims PBA Philippine Cup crown, ends TNT's Grand Slam bid

The San Miguel Beermen are once again kings of the PBA Philippine Cup.

San Miguel reclaimed the All-Filipino crown after dispatching TNT in Game 6 of the finals, 107-96, on Friday at the Philsports Arena in Pasig.

The victory also officially ended TNT's bid for a Grand Slam season.

The Beermen led 52-47 at the half before eventually pulling away in the second half as they outscored the Tropang 5G, 34-20, in the third period.

In the said quarter alone, June Mar Fajardo scored 10 points, while Jericho Cruz drilled two from beyond the arc to build on his nine points in the said frame.

San Miguel then pushed to its biggest lead, 80-60, at the 3:57 mark of the third period before they continued to hold off the Tropang 5G en route to the title.

With around three minutes remaining in the fourth period, Calvin Oftana drilled a triple to put TNT at 90 against San Miguel's 105. However, CJ Perez' basket at the 1:52 mark virtually sealed the victory for the Beermen despite TNT's late game rally.

For San Miguel head coach Leo Austria, the win -- which handed him his 10th title as a coach -- was an unbelievable one.

"Napakahirap isipin na nakuha ko itong ika-10 championship na I thought hindi na mapupunta sa akin for the reason na there are a lot of teams na working hard and leveling up, and getting their team really strong but we are fortunate and we are able to get this 10th championship," Austria said.

CJ Perez had a game-high 24 points, six assists, and a steal to lead the Beermen, while June Mar Fajardo also had 24 points as he went perfect with his two-point attempts. The 8-time Most Valuable Player also had 12 rebounds and three assists.

Cruz, who was eventually named MVP of the Finals series, had 13 points, six assists, four rebounds, and a steal in Game 6. In the whole series, he had averages of 13.83 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 3.33 assists per game.

Calvin Oftana, meanwhile, had 19 points, while Kelly Williams had 17 points for TNT.

The Beermen last won the All-Filipino crown in 2022 as they fell to the Meralco Bolts in the 2024 season. This is also San Miguel's 30th overall title in the PBA.

Scores:

San Miguel – Fajardo 24, Perez 24, Cruz 13, Trollano 12, Tautuaa 10, Ross 9, Lassiter 7, Brondial 4, Tiongson 4, Teng 0.

TNT – Oftana 19, Williams 17, Ganuelas-Rosser 15, Heading 13, Vosotros 13, Pogoy 12, Khobuntin 5, Aurin 2, Heruela 0, Galinato 0.

Quarters: 23-25, 52-47, 86-76, 107-96.

—GMA Integrated News