San Miguel Beer put together its sixth 120-plus-point performance of the conference on Wednesday. The Beermen blew past Titan Ultra, 144-113, at the Ynares Center in Antipolo to improve to 7-2.

George King poured in a game-high 39 points, and Rodney Brondial controlled the boards with 17 rebounds. San Miguel did most of its damage after seizing control in the second quarter, a lead so comfortable that coach Leo Austria was able to rest most of his starters for long stretches of the second half.

The win locks San Miguel into the next round alongside Group A leader NLEX, according to PBA chief statistician Fidel Mangonon III. For Titan, meanwhile, the loss was its second straight and another significant setback in a season already unraveling.

San Miguel’s Depth Puts It Among the League’s Elite

Austria came away most pleased with how balanced his team looked on both ends of the floor. He pointed to 34 team assists and 69 rebounds as proof his roster is buying into the system ahead of the playoffs.

“The good thing today is, everybody’s enjoying themselves. It seems na nagkakaroon na ng good chemistry,” Austria 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,” he added.

Beyond King’s 39-point night, which included 10 rebounds and five assists, Don Trollano added 21 points and 10 rebounds. Marcio Lassiter scored 15, and Brondial rounded out a double-double with 13 points and 17 rebounds.

Even with the result well in hand, Austria was quick to guard against complacency. “But we should not be complacent because come playoff time it’s a different ballgame,” he said.

The Beermen now head into the PBA’s extended break with plenty of momentum. The league goes on hiatus from August 15 to October 6 for the FIBA World Cup Qualifying window and the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.

Injuries Compound Titan’s Losing Skid

Titan Ultra was already short-handed entering Wednesday’s game, playing without Joshua Munzon, who was sidelined with flu-like symptoms. Things got worse in the third quarter, when Bryan Sajonia went down with an apparent right knee injury on a drive to the basket, with 8:51 remaining — another significant blow for a team that could not afford one.

Titan still found some offense. Tirrell Brown finished with 34 points, 13 rebounds, and six assists, and Fran Yu, John Amores, and Jerrick Balanza all reached double figures.

None of it was enough to slow down a San Miguel team playing with far greater depth. The loss dropped the Giant Risers to 2-7 in Group A, a record that leaves them with almost no realistic path to a top-four finish.

Like the rest of the league, Titan now heads into a nine-week break — time it badly needs if it hopes to salvage anything from a conference that has gone wrong at nearly every turn.