SMB manhandles Macau by 52 points for 2nd straight PBA win

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

The San Miguel Beermen pulled off the most dominant win by any team in the ongoing PBA Governors’ Cup after embarrassing the Macau Giant Pandas, 131-79, at Ynares Center II in Montalban on Aug. 8, 2026.

Fresh off a momentum-boosting 126-114 win over the Converge FiberXers, the Beermen carried that momentum against the league’s guest team in a game that was nearly postponed because of inclement weather brought by the southwest monsoon and Tropical Depression “Maymay.”

Both teams had to endure repeated interruptions after the game was delayed twice because of a roof leak in the first quarter. However, the PBA board decided to continue the final game of the doubleheader after weather conditions stabilized.

Before the game was delayed, San Miguel had already started to heat up from the field, and it sustained its momentum after the officials signaled play to resume, building a 15-point lead after the first 12 minutes.

Things got worse for Macau in the second quarter, when the Beermen ballooned their lead to 43 points after outscoring the Giant Pandas, 45-17, in the period.

San Miguel got almost everything it wanted in the quarter, with George King, Don Trollano, and Jericho Cruz punishing Macau’s poor interior defense with relentless drives to the basket.

Aside from their aggressive attacks to the rim, June Mar Fajardo dominated the paint and bulldozed his way to the final six points of the second quarter, helping the Beermen cap the first half on a high note.

Facing an insurmountable deficit, Macau entered the second half deflated and could only watch the red-hot San Miguel squad outplay it in nearly every aspect of the elimination-round game.

Despite briefly switching to a man-to-man defense that neutralized King’s ability to rifle swing passes during San Miguel’s floppy plays, Macau still failed to match the Beermen’s intensity, conceding another quarter, 31-16.

Macau then threw in the towel when the fourth quarter began as PBA fans started leaving the venue despite a full 12-minute period still remaining.

San Miguel completely took the life out of Macau by maintaining a 50-point lead until the final buzzer, dropping the Giant Pandas to a 2-6 win-loss record in the ongoing import-laced conference.

Leading the way in San Miguel’s one-sided rout was King, who scored 19 points, while Trollano, Cruz, and Jeron Teng added 17, 14, and 13 points, respectively.

The Beermen will look to pick up their third consecutive win on Aug. 12, 2026, against the Titan Ultra Giant Risers, while the Giant Pandas will try to bounce back on Oct. 7, 2026, against the NLEX Road Warriors.