Gin Kings move one win closer to finals
Barangay Ginebra San Miguel foiled Rain or Shine’s endgame rally and escaped with a 75-72 win in Game 3 of their best-of-five semifinals matchup in Season 43 Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City on Saturday.
The Gin Kings almost lost the game after squandering a 20-point lead, as the Elasto Painters narrowed the gap, 72-75, with only a few seconds remaining.
Ginebra is now one win away from gaining entry into the finals.
“What a brilliant comeback by Rain or Shine,” said Ginebra coach Tim Cone. “Coach Caloy (Garcia) got them ready by halftime. It became really a grind out game. As what I’ve said, it was a tremendous comeback by Rain or Shine and that was the story of the game. We just held on by finger nails.”
LA Tenorio split his two free throws in the last six seconds, giving Rain or Shine a chance to send the game into overtime. But James Yap’s two attempts beyond the arc faltered as the final buzzer sounded.
Import Justin Brownlee had a career second best of 44 points on top of 15 rebounds, six assists and five steals.
Tenorio contributed 13 points to lead the Gin Kings.
Scottie Thompson had 10 rebounds and eight assists without scoring a single point in the game.
Johnson led Rain or Shine with 13 points and 22 rebounds. Yap, who struggled with 1-of-8 shooting from the field, finished with nine points.
Game 4 will be on Monday at the Araneta Coliseum.
Scores:
Ginebra 75 – Brownlee 44, Tenorio 13, Slaughter 8, Ferrer 3, Chan 3, Devance 2, J. Aguilar 2, Thompson 0, Caguioa 0, Cruz 0, Mercado 0.
Rain or Shine 72 – Johnson 13, Almazan 12, Daquioag 11, Yap 9, Tiu 6, Belga 6, Nambatac 6, Ahanmisi 5, Norwood 2, Washington 2, Borboran 0, Ponferda 0, Torres 0.
Quarters: 24-10, 46-23, 61-41, 75-72.
The post Gin Kings move one win closer to finals appeared first on The Manila Times Online.