BARANGAY Ginebra continued to stay hot after the Fiba break, routing Blackwater, 98-84, on Friday night in the 2022-23 PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
The Gin Kings improved to 6-2 win-loss and stretched their win run to four games even after a 12-day respite when coach Tim Cone, Scottie Thompson, Japeth Aguilar, and Jamie Malonzo joined Gilas Pilipinas in the fifth window of the World Cup qualifiers.

Justin Brownlee had his usual game with 17 points, days his naturalization proceedings began in Congress, while Thompson added 16 points, eight rebounds, and six assists in another impressive all-around peformance.
Rookie Jeremiah Gray had his best game in a Ginebra uniform with a career-high 15 points as Cone gained his 1,000th win as PBA coach.
“It’s a great honor [to win 1,000 games] but we are hoping for 1,001 against Talk ‘N Text, that’s for sure,” said Ginebra coach Tim Cone as he looks forward to the match-up against TNT on Sunday.
The Gin Kings hardly missed a step after the long break as they pulled away for good in the third quarter, thanks to an 11-0 run that padded their lead to 63-49.
The win enabled Ginebra to maintain fourth place in the team standings, just one game behind second-placers Bay Area Dragons and Converge.
Blackwater slipped to 3-8 after losing its fifth straight game. The Bossing trailed by as many as 22 points but got within five, 52-47, at the half.
Ato Ular contributed 20 points and six rebounds, while Trevis Jackson had 14 points in the Blackwater defeat.
The scores:
Barangay Ginebra 98 – Brownlee 17, Thompson 16, Gray 15, Malonzo 13, Standhardinger 10, Mariano 8, Pringle 7, J. Aguilar 5, Pessumal 3, Dillinger 2, Tenorio 2, Pinto 0, R. Aguilar 0, David 0.
Blackwater 84 – Ular 20, Jackson 14, Krutwig 11, Ayonayon 10, Suerte 6, Sena 6, Banal 6, Dyke 4, Go 4, Taha 3, Melton 0, Ebona 0.
Quarters: 27-22; 52-47; 75-58; 98-84.
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