Beermen, Kings duel for top spot

MANILA, Philippines –  San Miguel slugs it out with a streaking Barangay Ginebra tonight in a duel of sister teams tipped to go down-to-the-wire with no less than the solo lead at stake in the PBA Philippine Cup at the Araneta Coliseum.

“It’s going to be an interesting battle,” said San Miguel rookie coach Ato Agustin of their 6:30 p.m. encounter with the Gin Kings.

The Beermen outlasted the Talk n Text Tropang Texters, 93-88, last Wednesday to wrest the solo lead with an 8-2 (win-loss) slate. But the Kings gained a crack at it by posting back-to-back victories in four days, including a 79-68 win over the Alaska Aces and a 90-78 romp over the Barako Bull Energy Boosters.

Those wins propelled the crowd favorites to solo second at 7-2 for a clear shot at the lead.

Meanwhile, Alaska tries to catch idle B-Meg at fourth (5-5) as it goes up against tail-ender Barako Bull (2-7) in the 4 p.m. opener.

Focus, however, will be on the main game with San Miguel hoping to use its vaunted offense against Ginebra’s defense.

The Beermen are currently second overall in points scored with a 93-point norm while the Kings, a team noted for their run-and-gun game, have limited their opponents to an average of 75 points.

“We’re playing a kind of defense that is beyond our expectations,” said Ginebra mentor Jong Uichico, whose team was seventh worst in defense last season.

“We’re just hoping to keep playing like it and see how we could hold San Miguel down,” he said.