PBA Governor's Cup | Meralco vs San Miguel | 9 February, 6:45 PM (PST)

[Mary C]

PBA Governor's Cup 2023

 

Meralco Bolts vs San Miguel Beermen

San Miguel Beer coach Jorge Gallent stated that despite having a talented and gifted team, in order to succeed they must play as a team and be on the same page. Gallent wants the Beermen to adopt that attitude because the upcoming days will be filled with difficult tests, beginning with their matchup against the Meralco Bolts on Thursday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. Additionally, he wants the Beermen to be reminded of how close they came to losing to the Magnolia Hotshots 100-98 the previous time around. After the escape act, which nonetheless kept their unblemished record intact, Gallent said, "As I always said, we have to play as a unit to progress offensively. 

Gallent added, "In the first half, we struggled with our offense because we weren't playing defense, we weren't reversing the ball, and we were just playing one-on-one." The PBA Commissioners Cup and Governors' Cup champion Barangay Ginebra Kings will be up next for the Beermen, who will then face off against the Bolts, the NorthPort Batang Pier, the rampaging Converge FiberXers, and the Bolts. The Bolts, who will always be a dangerous opponent against anyone with talented import KJ McDaniels, cannot be overlooked, either. 

After suffering a painful 96–88 loss to Terrafirma, McDaniels and the Bolts took out their frustration on the Blackwater Bossing, winning 125–99 to improve their record to 3–1. Aaron Black scored 19 points to lead the Bolts' scoring barrage, while Allein Maliksi scorched the scoreboard with six three-pointers and a total of 30 points. McDaniels added 24 points, including four three-pointers. In a significant victory, Anjo Caram and Chris Newsome also contributed double-digit outputs in an effort to surprise the Beermen.