Ginebra clips TNT, nears crown

Barangay Ginebra banked on a late run in the fourth quarter for a 73-66 victory over the TNT Tropang Giga in Game 5 of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Commissioner’s Cup last night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

After being held to just two points in the first half, Justin Brownlee finished with a double-double of 18 points and 13 rebounds as the Kings now have a crucial 3-2 series lead in this best-of-seven championship series.

Scottie Thompson also posted a double-double game of his own for the Kings with 16 points and 10 rebounds and was hailed as the Best Player of the Game.

Ginebra can finish the series and clinch the title on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. at the same venue.

Head coach Tim Cone lauded Thompson after rallying the locals to step up even with Brownlee catching fire in the second half.

“From our side, Justin was struggling a little bit with his hand today compared to the last game. Even though Justin hits some big shots down the stretch, it was the inspiration from Scottie that turned the tide for us,” Cone said.

“There is so much that Scottie does that is beyond the scorecard. His impact is so much greater than that.”

Even with a chance to finish the series on Wednesday, Thompson said they need to stick to winning Game 6 first.

In front of 12,477 spectators inside the Big Dome, Ginebra showed grit in the final minutes of the game to take the series lead.

Thompson buried a teardrop with 4:06 left in the game for an 8-0 run to seal the game for Ginebra.

The Scores :

GINEBRA (73) – Brownlee 18, Thompson 16, J.Aguilar 11, Ahanmisi 11, Rosario 6, Malonzo 6, Holt 3, Abarrientos 2, Tenorio 0.

TNT (66) – Hollis-Jefferson 19, Nambatac 19, Oftana 8, Pogoy 8, Aurin 8, Erram 4, Heruela 0, Williams 0, Exciminiano 0, Khobuntin 0.

QUARTERS: 17-24, 35-45, 57-56, 73-66.