PHOENIX Super LPG caught another big fish in Barangay Ginebra, 81-78, on Sunday at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum for its third straight win in the PBA 50th Season Governors’ Cup.
The Fuelmasters took advantage of a flat Gin Kings side that were playing their first game since capturing the Commissioner’s Cup crown in a seven-game finale against TNT that went the distance last June.
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Gian Mamuyac played a solid first game since being acquired from Rain or Shine in a trade but it was the holdovers led by import BJ Johnson and Ricci Rivero who got Phoenix over the hump in the endgame.
Riley Grigsby scored 42 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in his first game for Ginebra as a fill-in for the injured Justin Brownlee, but the Gin Kings’ slow start cost them.
Phoenix also defeated Magnolia and Meralco to grab solo lead in Group B.
The game still came down to the last possession after a last-gasp Ginebra comeback as Jeremiah Gray missed a four-point shot at the buzzer.
Phoenix Super LPG coach Charles Tiu said they wanted to push the pedal early in Ginebra’s first game of the conference, and it led to the Fuelmasters gaining their biggest lead at 26-7.
“We wanted to try to catch them a bit off-guard,” Tiu said. “It’s their first game, they have a new import, they are probably not used to playing with him yet, wala si Scottie Thompson. We really tried to really step on the gas.”
“Obviously, they are Ginebra for a reason. They didn’t want to quit, made it really, really big scare. In fact, I’ll just say suwerte na lang kami na nanalo pa kami dito. We pretty much were close to choking this game away,” Tiu added.
Johnson led Phoenix Super LPG with 23 points, 11 rebounds, five steals, and two blocks, with Rivero finishing with 16 points and nine rebounds.
Mamuyac had six points and three assists in his Phoenix Super LPG debut.
Outside of Grigsby, no one from the Gin Kings scored in double digits with Gray finishing with nine points, six rebounds, and five steals.
Ginebra coach Tim Cone was sent off late in the fourth quarter after being slapped with his second technical foul.
The scores:
Phoenix Super LPG 81 – Johnson 23, Rivero 16, Ballungay 12, Perkins 10, Tuffin 9, Mamuyac 6, Delos Santos 3, Tio 2, Santos 0, Chua 0.
Barangay Ginebra 78 – Grigsby 42, Gray 9, Abarrientos 8, Pinto 6, Abis 5, Rosario 4, Torres 3, J. Aguilar 1, Cu 0, Holt 0, Go 0.
Quarters: 32-15; 48-36; 66-55; 81-78.
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