Miller took charge for the Gin Kings when winning time came Wednesday night, shooting 11 points in the fourth quarter – including the biggest baskets of the game – in a 104-90 victory over San Miguel in the eliminations of the PBA Fiesta Conference at the Araneta Coliseum.

The former two-time MVP highlighted that sizzling performance in the final period with a string of five straight points that put the game away for the Gin Kings and sealed San Miguel’s first loss in the Beermen’s last 10 games.

After blowing a 14-point first half lead, the Kings were dragged into a tight endgame that gave Miller the opportunity to play the go-to-guy he has been so identified with in his first three teams in the league.

“Not really,” Miller said when asked if the adjustment period with his latest team was finally over. “We just moved the ball a lot better tonight and I just happened to make the shots. It was not all about me out there.”

Miller drained a triple and then a running jumper which ushered the Kings to a 96-88 lead with 2:16 left before feeding import Mildon Ambres for another triple as Ginebra won a fourth straight game and improved to 8-4.

“His teammates are really urging him to score, which is not hard for him because he can do it,” coach Jong Uichico said. “During practice you can hear the others telling Willie to play his game and attack the basket.”

Ambres, whose job has been on the line, wound up with 16 points with Eric Menk contributing 14 and Mark Caguioa 12.

Gabriel Freeman led the Beermen with 19 points with four locals chipping in with at least 10.

The first game, which was a battle among tail-enders, was also a classic, with the fight to stay alive giving both Air21 and Barako Coffee the boost to play their hearts out.

Wynne Arboleda, just in his second came since coming back from a seven-month suspension, scored the marginal short jumper with 44.9 seconds remaining that lifted the Express to a 99-98 victory.

The endgame was one to remember as the game hung in the balance until the final buzzer.

And it wouldn’t have come to that had the Express been able to take care of a 31-point first half lead.

“I didn’t see anything positive for us tonight,” Air21 coach Yeng Guiao rued even after his Express finally snapped a nine-game losing streak to rise to 2-10 and tie their victims for the final slot to the wildcard phase.

“This is not a pretty game for us. We cannot celebrate this win,” he added. “We needed a 30-point lead and their import to foul out for us to win by one (point). We haven’t won in a long time and I guess the guys have forgotten how (it is) to win.”

Air21 actually sat on pins and needles inside the final 3.6 seconds when the Coffee Masters were able to map out a potential game-winning play only for Aris Dimaunahan to narrowly miss a three-pointer at the buzzer.

“It’s hard to close out games. It was actually hard for us to even close out quarters,” Guiao added. “Our main objective right now is to stay alive as long as we can.”

Reed Juntilla paced the Coffee Masters with a career-high 29 points, including a rare four-point play with under 37 seconds left off a foul by Arboleda which gave Barako Coffee a 98-97 lead.

Barako Coffee played without import Sammy Monroe, who picked up his sixth foul with still 8:11 to play. But the Coffee Masters did not just fold up, engaging the Express in a nip-and-tuck finish.