Bolts, Gin Kings dispute 2-1 series lead
Credit to Author: Josef T. Ramos, TMT| Date: Sat, 11 Jan 2020 16:18:03 +0000
Meralco and Barangay Ginebra collide for a 2-1 lead when Game 3 of the Season 44 Philippine Basketball Association Governors’ Cup best-of-seven Finals series reels off tonight at the Araneta Coliseum.
of Ginebra watches during Game 2 of best-of-seven championship series of Season 44 PBA Governors’ Cup on Friday at the Quezon Convention Center in Lucena City.
PBA MEDIA BUREAU PHOTO
After avoiding a 0-2 hole in Lucena City in Game 2, the Bolts of veteran coach Norman Black are hoping to sustain their momentum in their 6:30 p.m. encounter with the Gin Kings.
“We really got a big lift from the bench and that’s what we’re going to need in the series,” said Black after Meralco’s 104-102 victory in Game 2 last Friday that tied the series to 1-1. “In the last game, they weren’t really there, but I called Nico Salva off the bench for the first time in a long, long time.”
Coming off the bench, Nico Salva and Anjo Caram had nine points and five points, respectively, while Bryan Faundo also provided quality minutes by contributing three points.
“He came (Salva) in and delivered for us. Anjo Caram played well,” added Black, who also praised Nard Pinto for providing the opening spark by hitting four triples that set the tone for the Bolts. “He (Pinto) was scoring the basketball for us (in the first quarter).”
Besides the bench scoring, Meralco finally gained something huge from Baser Amer in Game 2.
He scored 17 points on 5-of-9 shooting from beyond the arc including his big three-pointer in crunch time that stopped Ginebra’s massive rally in the fourth quarter.
Two-time Best Import Allen Durham delivered 21 points, 18 rebounds and six assists while Chris Newsome and Raymond Almazan added 17 and 15 points, respectively, also in Game 2.
Meralco fired 16 threes – an all-time PBA Finals franchise record for most number of three-point shots made in the championship game.
Ginebra coach Tim Cone said his team did its very best in Game 2 but it wasn’t enough though to win.
“We battled back which I am proud of but that’s not going to be enough for this series. Being proud of the guys is not going to win the series for us. We’ve got to do more,” said Cone, whose team managed to erase a 19-point deficit in the game.
Justine Brownlee, who only had one assist in Game 1 and 2, scattered 35 points and hauled down 11 rebounds while Stanley Pringle made 23 points and 10 rebounds in Game 2 loss.
The Gin Kings won Game 1 (91-87) last Tuesday.