Barangay Ginebra completed a lopsided 116-102 victory over TNT in Game 3 of their PBA 50 Commissioner’s Cup Finals series this Sunday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
The Gin Kings led the game from the opening quarter and never looked back as they claimed a 2-1 series advantage over Tropang 5G in the best-of-seven series.
A 9-1 spurt at the end of the game put on the finishing touches for Ginebra.
Brownlee stars for Ginebra
Justin Brownlee imposed his will with a 41-point performance anchored on 16-of-21 from the field (76.2%). Stephen Holt followed with 23 points, while Scottie Thompson contributed 17 markers.
Holt’s three triples in the opening quarter set the tone for Ginebra’s dominance in Game 3. One of the most notable improvements for the Gin Kings is their assists at 27 compared to Tropang 5G’s 22.
“In a finals game, I don’t think everybody realises how difficult it is to get the early lead and keep that lead all the way through the game,” said Ginebra coach Tim Cone in a post-game press conference.
“It’s hard to do in a finals game so I got to tip my cap to our players… It was the third game in five days and we played five or six guys tonight in heavy minutes but they reached deep, knowing that this could be pivotal game in this series,” the veteran coach added.
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McCullough’s effort not enough for TNT
Meanwhile, Tropang 5G’s defeat spoiled a 44-point, 13-rebound performance from Chris McCullough, who consistently carried the scoring cudgels for TNT in the quarters.
RR Pogoy proved to be the best local TNT player of the night after he chipped in 28 markers.
His four-pointers at the last stretch nearly tipped the momentum on TNT’s side if not for the finishing kick from RJ Abarrientos, who had 15 markers.
Game 4 is scheduled on Wednesday, June 10, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
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