Ginebra came from behind to beat Magnolia, 85-81, in another thrilling Manila Clasico showdown to throw itself into the Top Four race in the PBA Season 49 Philippine Cup, Sunday night at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
Troy Rosario, Jamie Malonzo, and Stephen Holt connived for the key 9-2 run to flip a one-point deficit to an 85-79 lead with 1:22 left. That completely erased a 71-61 deficit, which they found themselves staring at early in the final frame.
Defense then proved to be the finishing touch to complete the comeback, with Malonzo and c/o preventing Paul Lee from gaining any good looks from the four-point line for the potential game-tying shot as time expired.
It was a solid bounce-back for a team that bowed to Meralco just last Friday. More importantly, though, the win brought the crowd darlings to the fourth spot of the standings with a 6-3 card, breaking a tie with TNT and Rain or Shine.
“It was a huge statement game for us,” said head coach Tim Cone. “We were playing for our playoff lives in that game; we put a couple losses together, it would’ve been tough to get back into the hunt for the Top Four.
“But this keeps us firmly in the hunt. Still allows us to control our destiny. We ran into a really good Meralco team the last time out and we knew we’re gonna get much the same in Magnolia, but this time I thought we put up a better fight.”
Japeth Aguilar top-scored for Ginebra with 17 points and 11 rebounds in the victory that was yet again a solid display of their ‘NSD’ spirit.
Rosario finished with 15 points and five rebounds. Holt produced 14 points and seven rebounds while Malonzo supplied 11 points and five rebounds.
It was Malonzo himself who powered the aforementioned scoring run, scoring five in it that included the booming trey to cap it off — much to the delight of the Barangay faithful that made up most of the solid crowd in attendance.
“Jamie hit some big shots down the stretch, made some big plays,” Cone said. “I thought RJ had a good night tonight. And Japeth had eight rebounds in the first half. So all those things just kinda came together.”
RJ Abarrientos chipped in 10 points and six assists for Ginebra, which shot much better with 48.6-percent after struggling to find the mark versus the Bolts.
Ian Sangalang, on the other hand, had 16 points and 12 rebounds to lead Magnolia, but committed three turnovers — two of which were crucial.
The Hotshots had a total of three errors inside the game’s final 4:21, and the veteran big man was involved in the first two. He failed to catch the passes of Jerom Lastimosa and then Mark Barroca as the ball sailed outside.
Zav Lucero also had 16 points with eight rebounds, The young forward was the one who gave his team a 77-76 lead with 5:12 remaining, only for Rosario to answer back with a layup off a pick-and-roll set.
And that very shot would turn out to be the trigger to the Kings’ finishing run toward writing another chapter of the Clasico in their favor.
The Hotshots fell to 7-2, enabling NLEX to gain a share of the lead in the defeat that also spoiled the debut of new guy William Navarro.
Coincidentally, it would be the Road Warriors who are up next for Coach Chito Victolero & Co, on Friday, June 6.
This is a must-win situation for two teams aiming to secure a Top Four finish, as it merits a win-once quarterfinal incentive.
The Scores:
Ginebra 85 – J.Aguilar 17, Rosario 15, Holt 14, Malonzo 11, Abarrientos 10, Thompson 5, David 5, Pinto 4, Adamos 4, Gray 0.
Magnolia 81 – Sangalang 16, Lucero 16, Barroca 9, Laput 9, Lastimosa 8, Lee 6, Navarro 5, Dela Rosa 5, Alfaro 4, Dionisio 3
Quarterscores: 22-24, 44-39, 59-68, 85-81.
