RIVALS San Miguel Beermen and TNT Tropang 5G head into Game 3 of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Season 50 Philippine Cup Finals with everything back at square one.
The best-of-seven series goes to the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City on Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026, with tipoff set at 7:30 p.m., and momentum very much up for grabs after the teams split the opening two games.
TNT landed the first punch in Game 1, grinding out a 96–91 victory behind timely execution and a strong showing from its second unit.
The defending champion San Miguel responded with authority in Game 2, rolling to a 111–92 win that evened the series.
Don Trollano paced the Beermen in Game 2, erupting for a game-high 22 points to spark San Miguel’s bench.
“Mindset ko talaga bumawi kasi Game 1 pangit ng laro ko,” Trollano said. “Inisip ko lang, hindi kami pwedeng ma-down two games so ginawa ko best ko para makatulong sa team.”
Jericho Cruz also delivered a solid contribution off the bench with 12 points, helping sustain the early surge provided by San Miguel’s starting five — June Mar Fajardo, Moala Tautuaa, CJ Perez, Marcio Lassiter and Juami Tiongson.
Austria credited his team’s renewed intensity and focus for the bounce-back win, noting how crucial it was to deny TNT the chance to seize a commanding 2–0 series lead. But with the series now tied, the veteran coach knows the challenge only intensifies.
Austria said that it’s now the turn of the Beermen to be ready, anticipating a determined response from the Tropang 5G in Game 3. / RSC