JUSTIN Brownlee had nothing but admiration for Magnolia guard Paul Lee, who he called a ‘clutch player’ after he dealt Barangay Ginebra a 96-95 heartbreaker in Game 2 of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup semifinals on Friday.
It was Brownlee who initially picked up Lee on defense after he received the inbound pass from Calvin Abueva, and later challenged the veteran guard as he banked in the game winner at the buzzer.
[READ: Lee game-winner saves Magnolia from 0-2 hole]
While he credited Magnolia for going toe-to-toe with Ginebra till the end, he reserved the biggest compliment to the 33-year-old Lee, who was 5-of-8 from three-point to finish with a team-high 24 points.
“Clutch player. He just made a clutch play and made the shot that gave them the win,” said Brownlee outside the Ginebra dugout at the Philsports Arena.
“Sometimes basketball God is on your side. So you just got to give him a lot of credit, the ball bouncing to him.”
Brownlee bounced back after a paltry Game 1 showing to finish with a game-high 34 points.
It was actually a nip-and-tuck affair between the league’s two most popular teams, with neither team enjoying a double-digit lead.
“Tough game. You have to give a lot of credit to Magnolia. We made some run on them, and they made some run back on us,” said the Gilas Pilipinas candidate for naturalization.
“It’s an all-around great effort for both teams. It’s a great win for them, but a tough loss for us.”
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