Barangay Ginebra vs San Miguel Beermen Prediction & Betting Tips - PBA, Governors Cup

Prediction published on 25/03/2023, 14:35  by Joseph King | Modified on 25/03/2023 at 14:35 in Basketball Predictions

The PBA Governors' Cup semi-final sees the San Miguel Beermen needing a response as they take on rivals Barangay Ginebra in game two of this best of five series. Ginebra got off to an ideal start as they took the first game by a score of 121-112, powered by a fantastic 33 point, 13 rebound performance by big man Christian Standhardinger and another 27 points poured in by Jamie Malonzo. The result has the defending champions one step closer to a third consecutive Governors’ Cup title and a fourth in the past five seasons. Barangay Ginebra finished the regular season with the third seed after a record of eight wins and three losses. With their “twice to beat” advantage, they would then go on to dispose of NLEX in just one game in the quarter-finals, setting up this mammoth matchup against San Miguel.

The Beermen have their backs against the wall here as going into an 0-2 hole could ultimately prove too much to overcome against this talented Gin Kings side. Head coach Jorge Gallent will be stressing the “must-win” nature of this clash and many expect his talented San Miguel players to respond. They’ll have to adjust to the inside presence of Standhardinger, but this team has the required talent to meet the challenge. San Miguel finished the regular season one spot above their opponents today, securing the second seed with a record of nine wins and two losses. A comfortable win over Converge in the quarter-finals set up this clash and the game one loss snapped a three game winning run for the Beermen. Even without stalwart June Mar Fajardo, San Miguel has been playing arguably the best basketball in the PBA this season. They’ll need to get back to their best to pick up the win here.