EVER the team player that he is, Justine Brownlee deflected credit to his Barangay Ginebra teammates as he almost completed a rare triple-double in the Kings’ 109-101 win over Alaska in Sunday night’s PBA Governors Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Brownlee was simply unstoppable after torching the Aces for 45 points including 17 in the fourth quarter to lead the Kings to their second straight win and a share of the top spot with idle Magnolia Pambansang Manok.
The soft-spoken import shot 19-of-33 from the floor, grabbed 11 rebounds, and nine assists in an all-around effort that drew raves from Barangay Ginebra coach Tim Cone.
But for Brownlee, 30, it was the Kings who really made it possible for him to look good.
“I got to give a lot of credit to my teammates, they do a great job of setting me screens, passing me the ball when I’m open, and just always keeping me confident,” said Brownlee.
“That 45 points is a lot them in and just a little of me.”
He was actually just a single point short of matching his PBA career-high of 46, but was already taken out by coach Tim Cone when the Kings already had the game all but wrapped up.
Brownlee doesn’t mind it.
“I just tried to keep some momentum going and I think we played very well tonight,” he said.
At the same time, he gave credit to Alaska for keeping Ginebra on its toes all-game long despite losing import Mike Harris to injury for the entire fourth quarter.
“Their import went down but they still fought hard till the end,” Brownlee noted.
“I think overall it was a great win for us. We look at Alaska like a top team in the league so it’s a great win for us to beat them tonight,” he said.
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