San Miguel ties it up against TNT in the Philippine Cup finals

The San Miguel Beermen defeated the TNT Tropang 5G 98-92 in Game 2 of the 2025 PBA Philippine Cup finals, leveling the series at 1-1. Building on their Game 1 comeback strategy, San Miguel aggressively attacked the paint through Chris Ross and CJ Perez while establishing twin post threats June Mar Fajardo and Mo Tautuaa.

San Miguel initiated Game 2 by feeding Tautuaa in the post, easing defensive pressure on Fajardo and forcing TNT into defensive rotations. This approach generated high-percentage shots, resulting in dominant interior statistics: 64-24 points in the paint advantage and 18-4 edge in second-chance points. Tautuaa and Fajardo combined for 33 points and 13 rebounds on 50% shooting inside the arc.

The focus on interior play created opportunities for role players. Jeron Teng scored 10 second-quarter points through effective screening and cutting, while Don Trollano led all scorers with 22 points and six rebounds on 76.2% true shooting. Defensively, San Miguel prioritized protecting Fajardo and Tautuaa in pick-and-roll situations, with Chris Ross anchoring perimeter pressure (7 points, 7 assists, 4 steals).

TNT remained competitive despite trailing most of the game, but committed 17 turnovers and shot poorly from deep (29.7%). Calvin Oftana bounced back with 23 points, though RR Pogoy struggled offensively (6 points on 29.1% true shooting). TNT also suffered a significant setback as Poy Erram exited with a severe ankle sprain, compounding concerns about containing San Miguel's interior game despite solid contributions from Kelly Williams (11 points) and Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser (10 points).