King reigns as Beermen crush Dyip

San Miguel Beer bounced back in emphatic fashion, routing Terrafirma, 135-105, in the Philippine Basketball Association Governors’ Cup at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium on Wednesday.

George King erupted for 44 points, five rebounds and five assists as the Beermen improved to 8-3 in Group A as they were able to find their groove following their 98-116 loss to TNT last Saturday.

Although San Miguel has secured a quarterfinals berth, head coach Leo Austria wants his players to maintain their intensity as they remain in contention for the top spot in the group.

“We wanted to bounce back from our loss in the previous game and maintain our position in the top two, or wherever we might end up in the next few days. We could finish second or third, and we still have a chance to get to No. 1,” said Austria, whose wards will face leader NLEX on 21 October at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City with a chance to improve their seeding before the quarterfinals.

“The good thing is that after a bad start, the players realized the importance of the game. They remembered the sense of urgency.”

San Miguel trailed 35-37 before June Mar Fajardo sparked a 15-4 run with a layup at the 7:51 mark of the second quarter, putting the Beermen ahead, 50-41.

They never looked back, building their biggest lead at 43 points after JM Calma completed a three-point play to make it 125-82 with 5:49 remaining in the fourth quarter.

The Beermen dominated the paint and the boards, collecting 56 rebounds and 22 second-chance points.

Fajardo posted a double-double with 25 points on 9-of-11 shooting and 12 rebounds, while CJ Perez added 22 points.

Justin Strings, on the other hand, fired 28 points and nine rebounds for the Dyip, who fell to 4-7 in Group A.