San Miguel on the cusp of winning Philippine Cup Finals title

The San Miguel Beermen defeated the TNT Tropang 5G 105-91 in Game 4 of the 2025 PBA Philippine Cup finals, moving within one victory of reclaiming the all-Filipino championship. This marks their third consecutive win in the series, giving them three opportunities to clinch the title.

TNT initially built a 12-point first-quarter lead by strategically targeting June Mar Fajardo and Mo Tautuaa with screening actions involving Kelly Williams and Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser. This approach fatigued Fajardo defensively and disrupted San Miguel's frontcourt. However, head coach Leo Austria countered with critical adjustments: tightening point-of-attack defense, implementing aggressive hard shows on ball screens, and deploying Jeron Teng as a small-ball four. Teng's switching ability forced TNT into unfavorable matchups while unlocking San Miguel's perimeter offense.

San Miguel's bench proved pivotal, with Juami Tiongson, Don Trollano, and Jericho Cruz providing immediate scoring. The team shot a series-best 54.2% from three-point range (13-of-24), fueling a 24-14 second-quarter run that established an eight-point halftime lead. Though TNT's Jordan Heading exploited mismatches for 23 points in the third quarter, San Miguel maintained composure.

The fourth quarter featured Cruz's clutch performance, scoring 15 of his 23 points by attacking gaps created by TNT's overemphasis on containing Fajardo. With no rim protector to challenge Cruz's drives and CJ Perez adding 16 efficient points, San Miguel sealed the win. TNT now faces elimination and must win three straight games to keep championship hopes alive.