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Titan Ultra Giant Risers produced a rousing 103-87 upset of TNT Tropang 5G, while San Miguel Beermen remained perfect by handing Converge FiberXers their first loss of the conference, 128-122, in the PBA Season 50 Governors' Cup doubleheader at Ynares Center in Antipolo on Wednesday.
Let's talk about the duo who propelled Titan Ultra to snap its 10-game losing skid dating back to the Commissioner's Cup, and how import George King's offensive masterclass gave San Miguel its third straight win.
Cohesion between Fran Yu and Tirrell Brown
Despite back-to-back 30-point losses to Converge and NLEX, Titan Ultra knew it still had a puncher's chance against a depleted TNT squad if it played to its strengths.
And that's exactly what the Giant Risers did.
Titan Ultra took control after trailing 31-27 at the end of the first quarter, outscoring TNT 53-33 across the second and third periods to build a lead it would never relinquish.
Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser, Kelly Williams, and JP Erram were all unavailable for TNT, and Titan Ultra recognized the opportunity to attack the undermanned Tropang 5G frontcourt by testing the conditioning of import Darius Days and exploiting the size disadvantage of the bruising yet undersized Henry Galinato through its own reinforcement, Tirrell Brown.
The Giant Risers consistently created advantages by running cross-screen actions to establish the 6-foot-6 Brown deep in the paint, where TNT's interior defenders struggled to navigate the screens and deny post position.
The Arkansas native made the most of those touches, finishing with an efficient 29 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists while shooting 68.8% from inside the arc.
Orchestrating those entries was Fran Yu, who controlled the offense despite scoring just five points on 2-of-5 shooting. His game-high 11 assists underscored his impact, repeatedly finding Brown on the low block and punishing TNT's collapsing defense.
Yu's influence extended beyond the half-court offense.
The former Letran Knight also dictated the pace, pushing the tempo whenever opportunities arose as Titan Ultra won the transition battle, 19-11 in fastbreak points, while forcing turnovers that translated into a 17-7 advantage in points off turnovers.
For Brown, the breakthrough victory represented more than just Titan Ultra's first win of the conference. It was also a chance to prove he belonged on the PBA stage.
"It was important [to] get this win," Brown said.
"For me personally, to prove to everybody that I belong here.
"And also for the team, you know, they were looking for their first win. I'm happy that I can help them get a first win."
Marcio Lassiter gets unlocked vs. Converge
Prolific import King has shown he can seamlessly fit into San Miguel's loaded roster, erupting for 41 points vs. Converge, while the league's premier shot creator, CJ Perez, once again showcased his scoring arsenal with 31 points on an outstanding 88.9 TS%.
But the Beermen are especially dangerous when their stars draw the defense, and the supporting cast capitalizes.
After averaging just 2.5 points through San Miguel's first two games, Lassiter, the PBA's all-time leader in three-pointers, rediscovered his rhythm with 18 points on a blistering 95.3 TS%, knocking down three triples.
Lassiter's biggest contribution came late in the second quarter, when Converge grabbed a 57-53 lead, only for the former Gilas Pilipinas wing to swing the momentum back in San Miguel's favor to spark with three straight perimeter jumpers to spark an 8-0 run.
The balanced attack didn't stop there.
Don Trollano chipped in 11 points off the bench, while June Mar Fajardo continued to regain his form with 10 points and nine rebounds, giving the Beermen production throughout the rotation.
For interim head coach Peter Martin, who continues to steer the team while Leo Austria recovers from illness, the emphasis remains on preserving San Miguel's ball movement, as evidenced by Lassiter's breakout performance.
"The challenge for Coach Leo and me is, first, making sure we don't become complacent," Martin said.
"Then, we don't want the players to start playing individually. We're trying to reinforce our culture of making the extra pass."
Jalen Hudson watch continues
Before this matchup against San Miguel, Converge import Jalen Hudson had posted subpar numbers for a reinforcement, averaging just 11.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 3.7 assists while shooting an abysmal 29.3% from the field.
The 30-year-old forward's outing against the Beermen showed slight improvement, but it was still far from the level Converge expects, as he finished with 15 points, six rebounds, and six assists on a 44.4 TS%.
Fortunately for the FiberXers, their local core once again carried much of the offensive load.
Justin Arana continued his stellar start to the conference with 29 points on 73.7% shooting inside the arc, while four other Converge players also finished in double figures.
As Converge heads into the toughest stretch of its first-round schedule against Group A contenders NLEX and TNT, a looming question remains: Can the FiberXers continue to win if Hudson's production stays below the standard expected from an import?
