POWERHOUSE San Miguel Beer tests the mettle of Converge in a battle of two unbeaten squads in Group A as action continues on Wednesday in the PBA Season 50 Governors’ Cup at Ynares Center in Antipolo.
The Beermen won their first two games, while the FiberXers enter their 7:30 p.m. match carrying a pristine 3-0 record.
Converge big man Justin Arana has been delivering import-like stats line in his first three games, posting averages of 28 points, nine rebounds and three assists.
The former PBA Rookie of the Year seems primed at battling SMB’s top big man June Mar Fajardo, who played sparingly in the Beermen’s 109-104 win over the Terrafirma Dyip last week.
The “Kraken” scored just two points and grabbed four rebounds in 16 minutes of action as he continues to recover from a hyperextended elbow he sustained in Gilas’ 92-49 loss to Australia in the recent FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers in Perth.
Still, the main game isn’t merely a one-on-one match between Arana and Fajardo, considering that both squads are loaded with talent, not to mention SMB’s high-scoring import George King.
King is off to a strong start, averaging 33 points, eight rebounds and 2.5 assists for SMB.
Meanwhile, TNT, still undermanned early this conference, faces a Titan Ultra that will aim to end its three-game skid in their 5:15 p.m. match.
The Tropang 5G opened their title-retention campaign with a narrow 106-103 win against the Macau Giant Pandas last Sunday.
The charges of coach Chot Reyes played without gunner Calvin Oftana, Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser and Jayson Castro, all down with injuries, while veteran big man Kelly Williams is attending to a personal matter in the United States.
