The San Miguel Beermen (9-2) secured the top seed with a convincing 113-104 victory against the Meralco Bolts (6-5). Meanwhile, the TNT Tropang 5G (7-3) dispatched the Blackwater Bossings (1-10) with a dominant 113-96 showing on December 19.
Here are the players who made the biggest impact and the stats to prove it:
TOP PERFORMERS OF THE DAY:
June Mar Fajardo SMB C 24 PTS | 15 REB | 3 BLK | 54.0 FPS
JMF was a bigger factor on offense, converting a perfect 10-for-10 from the line to finish with his second 20-point outing and his tenth double-double of the conference.
Crispin John Cansino MER SF 21 PTS | 3 AST | 3 STL | 38.1 FPS
Cansino delivered his fourth-straight 20-point game and sixth in his last seven. He’s been their leading scorer this conference, averaging 19.3 points on 51% shooting from two.
Jaymar Perez SMB SF 24 PTS | 4 REB | 4 AST | 36.8 FPS
Perez finished with his best shooting performance of the conference, knocking down 4-of-9 from three and recording his sixth 20-point game.
Kier John Quinto MER SF 11 PTS | 9 REB | 6 AST | 33.8 FPS
Bong has scored in double-figures and has recorded at least 8 rebounds for the third time in his last four. He’s averaging 10.2 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists this conference.
Celedonio Trollano SMB SF 21 PTS | 3 REB | 1 BLK | 27.1 FPS
Don has reached the 20-point mark in four of his last six games.
Henry Galinato Jr. TNT C 14 PTS | 7 REB | 3 AST | 31.9 FPS
Galinato notched his third double-digit scoring gt and his seventh outing with at least 7 boards this conference.
Calvin John Oftana TNT SF 25 PTS | 2 REB | 2 AST | 30.4 FPS
Oftana started strong, dropping 20 points in the opening half. He finished 6-for-10 from three-point range and recorded his second 20-point game while also setting a new season-high in scoring. He’s also averaging nearly 16 points in this conference.
James Paul Una BWB SF 12 PTS | 5 REB | 2 BLK | 29.0 FPS
Una has emerged as a key contributor over the past three games, averaging 13 points and 8 rebounds.
Roger Ray Pogoy TNT SG 18 PTS | 1 REB | 1 AST | 20.7 FPS
RR immediately made his presence felt in his return after missing the last two games with an injury, pouring in 11 points in the first quarter and finishing with at least 18 points for the fourth time this conference.
BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT OF THE DAY:
Chris Newsome MER SG 9 PTS | 3 AST | 3 TO
Newsome matched his season-worst in turnovers and also struggled on offense, scoring under 10 points for the third time this conference.
