Scottie Thompson proved his reliable three-point shooting yet again, helping Barangay Ginebra weather Rain or Shine, Wednesday night.
The do-it-all guard buried a corner triple with 27.4 seconds left, capping off a 7-0 run that widened the Gin Kings’ lead to eight. This after the Elasto Painters got within a point twice after going down by 10 early in the final frame.
He went on to finish a perfect 3-from-3 from beyond the arc for 14 points. Meanwhile, the reigning champions bagged the 83-77 win.
Thompson, however, said that he was just fortunate enough to have such a fine shooting night – he shot 5-of-6 from the field all in all.
“Nasakto lang. Tumama ang mga tira,” he said moments after the match at the DHVSU Gym in Bacolor, Pampanga. “Talagang ine-earn namin sa practice ang aming mga tira. Just lucky pumapasok ang mga tira.
“And credit sa mga teammates ko,” added the six-year pro out of Perpetual. “Dahil sa ball movement, maraming nao-open.”
Ball movement was indeed key for the Barangay in the triumph. The team dished out 23 assists, which allowed them to shoot 49-percent from the field.
And the most important dime of the night, arguably, was Tenorio’s kick-out to Thompson. That led to the dagger trifecta, a shot reminiscent to that triple that propelled Ginebra to the finals of last year’s Philippine Cup Finals.
“Ang ginawa namin sa practice is bumalik kami sa basics, so ‘yun.
“Naging effective at naging maganda ang ball movement namin sa team kaya nakuha namin ang game,” said Thompson, who had six assists as well.
There was definitely a conscious effort for the Gin Kings to come out victorious. Just last week, they suffered a stunning 90-95 defeat versus Terrafirma – the first time the franchise lost to the Dyip after winning their 16 previous meetings.
That loss, their third of the conference, served as a wake-up call for the powerhouse squad, according to the 28-year-old.
“I think ‘yung talo nga namin sa Terrafirma, talagang tough game ‘yun kasi ang Terrafirma, they played good since ang start ng bubble dito. And siguro ‘yun ang naging wake-up call sa amin,” he said.
“Naisip namin na mas maglaro pa kami as a team and talagang magkaisa kami through this bubble.”
