CJ Perez delivered in the clutch to lift San Miguel Beer past TNT, 95-89, and grab a 2-1 series lead in the PBA Philippine Cup Finals on Sunday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Perez drilled a four-pointer followed by a three-pointer in the closing moments to wrest control from the Tropang 5G after they trailed 89-86 with less than a minute left.
After that, Marcio Lassiter's free throws off RR Pogoy's fouls to seal the victory.
At one point in the third period, the Tropang 5G led 61-50 after the Beermen had a strong start and took a 33-16 advantage just before the first period ended.
The Perez show late in the game, however, came after he and San Miguel head coad Leo Austria had some conversations early in the game.
"We're not after the four points or three points. We want quick two points, but knowing CJ, gusto niyang manalo. Never kong pinagbabawalan 'yan tumira in any part of the court, as long as it is a good shot or kailangan niya itira 'yun," Austria said.
"During the first half, nagkaroon kami ng altercation pero I have to respect everybody because what I feel is gusto niya manalo. But I want to let him know that I'm the coach of the team, and he should respect me also. He apologized. It turned out na maganda ang nangyari. Na-focus [siya] and 'yung focus niya to win, nandoon kasi gusto niya magpakita and that's one thing. But that's already a thing of the past. We have to unite para hindi maapektuhan ang team."
Perez finished with 20 points, 17 in the fourth quarter alone, to go along with five rebounds, four assists, and a steal to lead San Miguel, while June Mar Fajardo anchored the paint with 16 points and a 27 rebounds. Don Trollano also chipped in 19 points.
Calvin Oftana, meanwhile, paced TNT with 25 points in the loss.
Scores:
San Miguel 95 – Perez 20, Trollano 19, Fajardo 16, Tautuaa 14, Lassiter 10, Cruz 8, Brondial 4, Teng 4, Tiongson 0, Ross 0.
TNT 89 – Oftana 25, Heading 15, Ganuelas-Rosser 15, Nambatac 12, Galinato 6, Khobuntin 5, Erram 4, Pogoy 4, Enciso 3, Williams 0, Jalalon 0.
Quarters: 33-19, 44-50, 67-72, 95-89.
—JKC, GMA Integrated News