RJ Abarrientos came back to life and helped lead Ginebra inch closer to another PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals appearance with a 111-104 win over Rain or Shine in the semis’ Game 5 at the SMART Araneta Coliseum Friday night.
After getting held to just eight points on eight shots the last time out, the BPC frontrunner adjusted and fired 31 points, 18 of which he made in the second half as he sparked their breakaway for good in the third toward the 3-2 series lead.
Last season’s Rookie of the Year shot 12-of-21 from the floor, including 4-of-8 from three and a pair of fours, and also collected eight rebounds, three assists, and two steals in a solid bounce-back after that uncharacteristic showing.
Thanks to his solid showing, the crowd darlings earned the chance to finish it off in Game 6 this Sunday, 5:15 p.m. at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.
(C) PBA Images
“Frankly, I don’t really want to talk about tonight. I just wanna lock in to Sunday and get going on Sunday,” head coach Tim Cone said.
Justin Brownlee top-scored for Ginebra with 31 points, alongside four rebounds and eight assists. Troy Rosario delivered 16 points and seven rebounds.
Others, such as Ralph Cu, contributed significantly as well, scoring all eight of his points in the fourth quarter to play a hand in their pullaway.
He went 2-of-3 from three as the Kings, as a whole, made up for their measly 5-of-23 shooting from the first arc in the previous game by knocking down 16, thanks in part to their conscious effort to move the ball, as evidenced by their 25 assists.
“We knew our three-point shots were down from Game 4, but that was because we just felt that the ball didn’t move, we weren’t getting to the spots, we weren’t getting the looks that we wanted. But tonight, the ball moved,” Cone said.
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Adrian Nocum led Rain or Shine with 25 points, 15 of which he made in the third quarter as he led the rally from 15 down and got them to as close as three.
However, Abarrientos and Brownlee triggered a run to close out the frame still in Ginebra’s favor, 83-71, with the former capping it off with a four at the buzzer.
The crew collectively leaned on defense afterward to shut down Nocum come the fourth. The high-flying shooting guard went scoreless, as the Kings themselves went on to put the game away, much to their fans’ delight.
Jaylen Johnson got 22 points and 14 rebounds, although he scored most of his points in garbage time as the American big man struggled to get going early.
Jhonard Clarito had 20 points and 10 rebounds for a double-double of his own, with Gian Mamuyac and Caelan Tiongson adding 11 and 10, respectively.
The Scores:
Ginebra 111 – Brownlee 32, Abarrientos 31, Rosario 16, Thompson 9, Holt 8, Cu 8, Gray 3, Pinto 2, J. Aguilar 2, Go 0
Rain or Shine 104 – Nocum 25, Johnson 22, Clarito 20, Mamuyac 11, Tiongson 10, David 6, Santillan 5, Malonzo 4, Caracut 1, Asistio 0, Manaytay 0.
Quarterscores: 31-26, 56-44, 83-71, 111-104.
