Scottie Thompson nailed the game-winner to help Barangay Ginebra frustrate Magnolia, 95-92, and emerge victorious in another Christmas Clasico affair before a solid crowd at the SMART Araneta Coliseum on Wednesday night.
The 2022 MVP caught RJ Abarrientos’ dish and pulled the trigger for the triple from the left corner just before the final buzzer sounded, and the Kings would soon erupt in jubilation as they completed the comeback from 22 points down.
“The play was designed for RJ to make the decision,” said head coach Tim Cone as the final play involved solid passing from him and Justin Brownlee.
Thompson drilling the game-winner, which was a tad similar from what he flung to beat Meralco in Game 5 of the 2020 Philippine Cup quarterfinals, saved as well the efforts of Abarrientos and Brownlee in pulling Ginebra back in the game.
Abarrientos himself was big in the second half that saw him go on a hot streak especially in the fourth quarter, before JB pulled off the haymakers by nailing crucial three-pointers that put the crowd darlings ahead.
The fightback enabled the Kings to bounce back from their loss to Converge last Saturday and improve to 4-2 in the Season 40 Commissioner’s Cup.
