San Miguel is not taking the 8th seeded NLEX lightly as the two teams square off in the PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup quarterfinals.
June Mar Fajardo and the San Miguel Beermen open their PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup quarterfinals campaign against the NLEX Road Warriors on Thursday, Dec. 25.
Tip off is at 5:15 p.m. at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, with both teams carrying both momentum.
[WATCH: PBA LIVESTREAM: NLEX Road Warriors vs San Miguel Beermen | Philippine Cup quarterfinals]
San Miguel enters the knockout round riding a nine-game winning streak to close the eliminations, needing just one victory to punch a semifinal ticket.
Still, the Beermen are keeping their guard up against the eighth-seeded Road Warriors, especially after absorbing an 84–85 loss to NLEX in the eliminations.
Head coach Leo Austria made it clear the Beermen are not overlooking their opponent.
“Fighter din yang NLEX kaya dapat dala namin ang A-game namin against them or else siguradong mahihirapan kami nang husto,” Austria said.
With playoff experience, depth, and form on their side, San Miguel will look to impose its will early and avoid a sudden-death scenario in this quarterfinal pairing.
(With reports from Jan Ballesteros)
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[Editor’s note: This article was written by a member of One Sports Digital with the help of AI and reviewed by editorial staff for accuracy.]