BARANGAY Ginebra earned a measure of payback against TNT in their first matchup in the PBA Philippine Cup.
The Kings got off a fiery start and not once looked back at the Tropang 5G in hacking out a runaway 97-78 win in a rematch between the finalistsGovernors’ of both the and Commissioner’s Cup.
The victory put Ginebra in a tie for third place with Magnolia at 7-3, while enhancing its shot at a Top 4 finish and a twice-to-beat advantage in the playoffs.
The loss snapped the six-game winning run by TNT, relegating it to a three-way tie for fourth place with ain or Shine, and Converge on 6-4 slates.
PBA SCENARIOS: Magnolia risks losing twice-to-beat incentive
In the first game pitting also-ran teams Blackwater and Terrafirma, the Bossing prevailed, 97-82, to hike their record at 2-8 and stopped a six-game skid.
The Dyip ended the season with a 1-10 record after losing for the 10th straight time in what could be their final game in the league.
Here are three takeaways from Sunday’s games:
1. ANOTHER MILESTONE FOR SCOTTIE THOMPSON – the former league MVP quietly marked another career record in the win against the Tropang 5G by reaching 1,000 offensive rebounds. He actually had a total of three rebounds, including two on the offensive boards to reach the milestone. Thompson had a modest game of five points and 10 assists as he shot of 2-of-6 from the field. According to PBA chief statistician Fidel Mangonon III, the landmark was Scottie’s fourth career achievement award for the season, making him the first player to do the feat in the 49-year history of the PBA. The career marks he earlier achieved were 500 steals, 2,000 defensive rebounds, and 2,000 assists.
2. TERRAFIRMA’S SWAN SONG? – it was a poignant atmosphere that prevailed inside the Dyip dugout, not because the team lost another game but due to the uncertainty that awaits the entire franchise. Players and team personnel are still at a loss on what the offseason offers especially with Terrafirma’s franchise sale still to be finalized. And should the team not return next season, it ended its final conference in the league by recording the longest losing record of 10 straight games. For the entire Season 49, the Dyip owned a 3-30 (win-loss) record, the worse for the Dyip since going 3-31 in Season 47.
3. RUDE WELCOME FOR RHJ – was it just a coincidence that Ginebra dealt TNT a 19-point beating on the night three-time Best Import and nemesis Rondae Hollis-Jefferson showed up personally at the game to cheer and support his team. The former NBA player sat at ringside with team manager Jojo Lastimosa just behind the TNT bench and watched in horror as the Tropang 5G trailed by as many as 32 points (59-27). For a warrior like RHJ, that surely cuts like a knife, sitting haplessly while seeing battered the same team he willed to win back-to-back championships in the season’s first two conferences.
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