BARANGAY Ginebra opened its title-retention bid with a 116-108 comeback over Rain or Shine on Sunday in the PBA Governors’ Cup at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
Justin Brownlee highlighted a triple double with 29 points to lead the Gin Kings to the impressive win, just three weeks after their Commissioner’s Cup title run.
The victory, however, was in no way easy as Rain or Shine kept the Gin Kings on the back foot and led by as many as nine points in the fourth quarter.
The Elasto Painters, though, were unable to finish the job as Brownlee and super-sub Nards Pinto led a late comeback before over 10,000 fans at the Big Dome.
READ: Ginebra fans heave sigh of relief as Pinto slams door on RoS
Pinto turned out to be the unsung hero, scoring five of his 12 points in an 11-0 run that gave Ginebra its first significant lead of the game at 101-93.
“We tried to shorten the minutes a little bit so they won’t have to play long minutes. But then Nards started playing so well that we just left him out there,” said Ginebra coach Tim Cone on Pinto’s effort in the ballgame.
Rain or Shine fell to 0-4 despite a gutsy performance in a game where the team, as described by head coach Yeng Guiao, needed a “miracle” to win.
"Walang himala," Guiao said in jest after the loss.
Japeth Aguilar contributed 18 points while Scottie Thompson had his usual all-around performance of 15 points, eight rebounds, and five assists for the Gin Kings.
Michael Qualls and Beau Belga led the way with 23 and 21 apiece for Rain or Shine.
The scores:
Ginebra 116 – Brownlee 29, J. Aguilar 18, Thompson 15, Malonzo 14, Pringle 14, Pinto 12, Gray 7, Standhardinger 4, Tenorio 3, Mariano 0.
Rain or Shine 108 – Qualls 23, Belga 21, Nambatac 18, Yap 11, Santillan 7, Torres 7, Mamuyac 6, Borboran 5, Asistio 4, Demusis 4, Norwood 2, Ponferrada 0.
Quarters: 28-21; 50-45; 80-81; 116-108.
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