SAN Miguel Beer flexed its mighty muscles just enough to roll past hard-luck Titan Ultra, 144-113, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026, at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.
George King led all scorers with 39 points, while Rodney Brondial again showed his rebounding prowess as the Beermen turned the game around in the second quarter before going full throttle despite most of their starters riding the bench.
SMB improved to 7-2 and joined Group A leader NLEX among the teams assured of advancing to the next round, according to PBA chief statistician Fidel Mangonon III.
What’s more, the Beermen could further polish their game during the league’s break from Aug. 15 to Oct. 6 to give way to the FIBA World Cup Qualifying window and the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
After notching their sixth win with at least 123 points, coach Leo Austria was already pleased with his team’s performance.
“The good thing today is, everybody’s enjoying themselves. It seems na nagkakaroon na ng good chemistry,” he said. “The bench is performing really well and then almost balanced scoring. We had 34 assists… rebounds 69 so I think it’s a great sign of the players really wanting to win, especially going to the break. But we should not be complacent because come playoff time it’s a different ballgame.”
The loss was Titan’s second straight, dropping it to 2-7 in Group A and practically eliminating its chances of finishing among the top four teams advancing from the bracket.
Already without Joshua Munzon, who is nursing flu-like symptoms, the Giant Risers suffered another blow when Bryan Sajonia appeared to injure his right knee while driving to the basket with 8:51 left in the third period.
It seems unlikely, though, that Titan could have stood up to the SMB juggernaut even with both players fully available.
Tirrell Brown had 34 points, 13 rebounds and six assists, while Fran Yu, John Amores and Jerrick Balanza added at least 10 points each.
King also had 10 rebounds and five assists, Don Trollano tallied 21 points and 10 rebounds, Marcio Lassiter scored 15, and Brondial posted a double-double of 13 points and a game-high 17 rebounds.
Magnolia 115, Phoenix 101
In the nightcap, KJ Buffen and Jerom Lastimosa both posted career highs to power the Magnolia Hotshots past Phoenix Super LPG, 115-101, for their third consecutive victory.
Buffen unloaded a league-best 35 points, while Lastimosa dropped a personal-best 30 as Magnolia turned a tight duel into a vengeful rout, avenging an 86-98 first-round loss to the Fuel Masters and throwing Group B’s Top Four race into a logjam.
The victory lifted Magnolia to 4-3, tying Phoenix at 4-3 for second place behind Rain or Shine (4-2) and just ahead of Blackwater (3-3).
/ PBA MEDIA