Romwel Anzures

Barangay Ginebra’s RJ Abarrientos against San Miguel Beer in the PBA Season 49 Philippine Cup semifinals Game 3. Photo from PBA Images.

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<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1751264846076IMG_7275.jpeg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Barangay Ginebra’s RJ Abarrientos against San Miguel Beer in the PBA Season 49 Philippine Cup semifinals Game 3. Photo from PBA Images."/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Barangay Ginebra’s RJ Abarrientos against San Miguel Beer in the PBA Season 49 Philippine Cup semifinals Game 3. <em>Photo from PBA Images.</em></span></span></span>MANILA — RJ Abarrientos lived up to his billing in Barangay Ginebra San Miguel’s PBA Season 49 Philippine Cup semifinals Game 3 win on Sunday.</div><p>The 2024 Rookie Draft’s third overall pick shone against the San Miguel Beermen, putting up 24 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists in their 100-90 victory, and these helped the perennial crowd darlings hold a 2-1 lead over their counterparts.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/sports/basketball/2025/6/29/pba-rj-abarrientos-dazzles-as-ginebra-dumps-san-miguel-for-2-1-lead-2134">READ: RJ Abarrientos dazzles as Ginebra dumps San Miguel for 2-1 lead</a></div><p>“I just believe that he&#x27;s just a great shooter,” hailed Ginebra head coach Tim Cone of Abarrientos, who had a four-pointer and a pair of treys to complete his 18 markers in the fourth canto.</p><p>“I know him. His passing, he&#x27;s an absolutely fantastic passer, and his ball handling is great. He can attack people. But for me, what really makes him special is his ability to shoot the ball,” he added.</p><p>Abarrientos’ playmaking prowess was also on display against the mighty SMB. He was responsible for almost a third of Ginebra’s 26 assists as a unit, and these passes were vital in Jamie Malonzo and Japeth Aguilar’s 20 and 18 markers, respectively.</p><p>However, what Cone wants for his point guard of the present and the future is to avoid getting gun-shy even if there are times when his shot is not falling.</p><p>“We always try to encourage him to shoot it. You know, if he&#x27;s open, we’d love for him to still shoot it. If he&#x27;s 1 for 11, we&#x27;re going to make him take that next tough shot right after that,” said Cone.</p><p>“Because we know it&#x27;s going to turn around for him. Anything that&#x27;s open for him, he&#x27;s going to knock down more times than not,” he added.</p><p>With the pivotal Game 3 ahead of them, Ginebra can impose more pressure by building a 3-1 lead if they win on Wednesday.</p><p>Cone is expecting the Beermen to retaliate anew much like how they did in Game 2, which is why he is challenging Abarrientos to maintain the momentum that their recent win got him.  </p><p>“He got a little bit loose, and hopefully we can continue to get him loose in upcoming games,” the Gilas Pilipinas coach said. “He needs to stay aggressive for us to win games like this.”<strong></strong></p><div>Game 4 of this Best-of-7 series is at the Mall of Asia Arena, 5:00 p.m.<br/><br/><strong>RELATED VIDEO: <span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bZOYF13JLiA?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></strong></div>

<p>RJ Abarrientos lived up to his billing in Barangay Ginebra San Miguel’s PBA Season 49 Philippine Cup semifinals Game 3 win on Sunday.</p>

RJ Abarrientos lived up to his billing in Barangay Ginebra San Miguel’s PBA Season 49 Philippine Cup semifinals Game 3 win on Sunday.

PBA: Cone has challenge for Abarrientos as Ginebra heads into pivotal Game 4

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PBA: Cone has challenge for Abarrientos as Ginebra heads into pivotal Game 4

Rom Anzures,

ABS-CBN News

Published June 30, 2025 03:12 PM PHT

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TIm Cone

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