Ginebra waxed hot from deep and dealt Rain or Shine its worst loss of the PBA Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup through a 114-90 torching to bolster its Top Four hopes, Sunday night at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
The Kings knocked down 21 triples, weaponizing the outside shot to turn things around in the second quarter before breaking the game wide open in the ensuing frame to eventually bounce back from a blowout loss to Meralco last Friday.
Ralph Cu himself nailed a pair to help put together a 19-7 blitz toward a 51-42 lead entering the break, and Stephen Holt would hit one crucial one to push the gap to 64-49 early in the third, thus signalling the start of their pullaway.
So lopsided was the bout that the crew had already hit the century mark, still with about six minutes left behind Troy Rosario, as they simply had their way toward dislodging the Elasto Painters at no. 2 in the standings with an 8-3 card.
(C) PBA Images
“We’re very disappointed (with the Friday loss), but we weren’t discouraged. We know it’s not us,” said Ginebra coach Tim Cone, whose team just reset the franchise record for threes made in a game. “All the guys came out.”
Justin Brownlee starred in the rout with 40 points on a 54.2-percent clip from the floor alongside eight rebounds, five assists, a steal, and two blocks.
RJ Abarrientos finished with 23 points, six rebounds, and 11 assists. Scottie Thompson came through with a double-double of his own, tallying 17 points and 16 rebounds, which he laced with four assists, three steals, and a block.
Cu went 5-of-7 from deep for 15 points for his best game of the conference thus far, and added five rebounds and three assists on the way to earning Player of the Game honors. Troy Rosario chipped in 13 points and seven boards.
“My teammates are getting the attention, and I just made myself ready,” offered Cu, who was averaging a mere 2.0 points before the big night.
Ginebra will look to finish its eliminations with another win when it takes on Bol Bol and TNT in the final game of the round next Sunday, May 10, at the Mall of Asia Arena in a rematch of last season’s Commissioner’s Cup Finals.
(C) PBA Images
Jaylen Johnson had 16 points on 18 shots and 15 rebounds plus six assists to lead Rain or Shine, which got held to a conference-low nine fastbreak points as the run-and-gun unit couldn’t get its usual pace going.
Gian Mamuyac had 14 points and seven rebounds. Anton Asistio made 13 points, while Adrian Nocum had only 10 markers on a night when their fellow usual provider, Jhonard Clarito, went scoreless in nearly 25 minutes of play.
The Elasto Painters, who have lost three of their last four outings, will try to get what’s become an elusive ninth win against Titan Ultra on May 8.
The Scores:
Ginebra 114 – Brownlee 40, Abarrientos 23, Thompson 17, Cu 15, Rosario 13, Holt 4, Torres 2, Pinto 0.
Rain or Shine 90 – Johnson 16, Mamuyac 14, Asistio 13, Nocum 10, Santillan 8, Tiongson 8, Cuajao 8, Villegas 6, Caracut 5, Malonzo 2, Clarito 0, David 0, Manaytay 0.
Quarterscores: 21-20, 51-42, 86-70, 114-90.
