King delivers late as San Miguel survives Terrafirma rally to stay unbeaten

George King came through when it mattered most as San Miguel Beer held off a determined Terrafirma side, 109-104, to preserve its perfect start in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Season 50 Governors' Cup on Saturday at the Ynares Center.

King powered the Beermen with 37 points and 14 rebounds, scoring four straight points in the final stretch to turn a late deficit into a 105-104 lead with 39.1 seconds remaining.

CJ Perez and Don Trollano then sealed the victory by sinking clutch free throws in the final 4.4 seconds, allowing San Miguel to improve to 2-0 despite nearly losing a big advantage.

"We were fortunate there. It could've easily been Terrafirma before you guys today. Luckily, our defense at that moment turned up," King said after the game.

The Beermen appeared to be in control after racing to a 22-point lead, but Terrafirma once again displayed its resilience by mounting a furious fourth-quarter comeback.

Former San Miguel guard Juami Tiongson gave the Dyip a 104-101 lead after hitting a three-pointer with 1:21 remaining, putting Terrafirma in position for a stunning upset.

San Miguel responded with timely defensive plays, as King and Perez forced key turnovers that fueled the game-changing run.

Acting head coach Peter Martin, who continued to handle coaching duties with Leo Austria sidelined due to illness, credited the Beermen's defense for saving them in the final minutes.

"At the end of the day it was the defense that got us the win tonight," Martin said.

Despite the victory, Martin acknowledged that Terrafirma controlled much of the game after battling back from a large deficit.

"Now we can say a win is a win. I think they outhustled us, they outplayed us, they outcoached us. The coaching staff of the other side was better than me today," he admitted.

Martin also pointed out that the team had been warned about the Dyip's ability to erase big leads after similar comeback attempts against NLEX and Converge earlier in the conference.

"Hindi kami nagkulang sa paalala because in the dugout that's the first thing we told them. We reminded them that Terrafirma came back from 20 points down in the fourth quarter against two teams, NLEX and Converge."

Perez finished with 22 points, four rebounds, four assists, and four steals, while Trollano added 17 points. The Beermen also welcomed back June Mar Fajardo, who returned after missing their opening win over Macau.

Terrafirma remained winless at 0-3 despite another impressive comeback effort.

Import Justin Strings led the Dyip with 28 points and 12 rebounds, while Tiongson erupted for 27 points against his former team, highlighted by five three-pointers. Maverick Ahanmisi also delivered 20 points, seven rebounds, and six assists as Terrafirma erased a 22-point deficit before ultimately falling short.