BARANGAY Ginebra got back on the winning track and Converge stretched its winning streak in the PBA Philippine Cup on Wednesday at the Philsports Arena.
Buoyed by their sizzling three-point shooting, the Kings jumped the gun on the Northport Batang Pier and came through with a runaway 131-106 win.
The Kings improved to 2-1 (win-loss) and atoned for a loss to the San Miguel Beermen last week, 104-93.
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The 25-point setback, meanwhile, was the third straight loss for the Batang Pier (1-3).
In the curtain raiser, the FiberXers silenced the guns of the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, 107-97, as they won a third straight game for a 4-2 slate.
The Elasto Painters evened their record to 2-2 as their two-game winning run came to an end.
Here are the takeaways in the league’s final doubleheader for the month of April.
1. FOR HOW LONG ARVIN TOLENTINO WILL BE GROUNDED FOR NORTHPORT – without their main scorer, the losses have been piling up for the Batang Pier. Just a conference removed from winning his first-ever Best Player of the Conference award, Tolentino has been playing hurt with an injured hip flexor. He missed the game against Ginebra, his second in the last three outings of the team. In all three Northport losses, the Batang Pier went down by an average of 21.3 points. The 29-year-old forward suited up in the 120-98 setback to Blackwater but shot 6-of-15 from the floor. In the two games Tolentino played this conference, he averaged 17.0 points and 7.0 rebounds.
2. JAYSON DAVID QUICKLY PROVES WORTH FOR GINEBRA – the 6-foot-3 guard didn’t waste time proving coach Tim Cone didn’t make the mistake of reactivating him from the reserved list as replacement for veteran LA Tenorio. The Kings’ former 3x3 player came through with an almost perfect game in his first outing this conference, notching 25 points on 8-of-9 field goal shooting including 4-of-4 from three-point range. He also added nine rebounds, three assists, and two steals in a performance that rekindled his heroics in the Kings’ 108-107 come-from-behind win against Rain or Shine where he hit the game winner during the PBA On Tour two years ago.
3. SCHONNY WINSTON QUIETLY MAKING HIS MARK WITH CONVERGE – lost in the hype surrounding Twin Towers Justin Arana and rookie Justine Baltazar is the work being done by the former De La Salle stalwart with the FiberXers. Winston shared scoring honors with Alec Stockton, each with 24 points, but scored 11 of his output in the third period that allowed Converge to finally take control of the game against Rain or Shine. A first-round pick of the franchise in Season 48 draft, Winston added three rebounds and five assists to secure a second Best Player of the Game award this conference.
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