San Miguel Beer clinches top seed in PBA Philippine Cup

San Miguel Beer secured the top seed in the PBA Philippine Cup quarterfinals with a decisive 126-91 victory over NorthPort on Sunday, setting up a rematch against Meralco.

CJ Perez led San Miguel with 24 points and five rebounds, helping them finish the elimination round with an 8-3 record and a twice-to-beat advantage against Meralco.

San Miguel's strong performance this season includes three games won by at least a 35-point margin, with an average winning margin of 21.1 points per game, but they are focused on redemption after losing to Meralco in last year's Finals.

Despite the Bolts' current struggles and their quarterfinals exit in the Basketball Champions League, Perez emphasized that San Miguel needs to match Meralco’s energy and focus on defense to improve their ball pressure and transition defense.

San Miguel is eager to prove themselves after missing the playoffs in the previous conference, making them determined to secure a better outcome this time with their twice-to-beat advantage.