UP 1-0 in their respective best-of-three Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup quarterfinal pairings, the defending champions Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings and Rain or Shine Elasto Painters go for the jugular of their opponents today and book a spot in the semifinals.
Set at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, the fourth-seeded Kings play the fifth-seeded Magnolia Hotshots Ang Pambansang Manok at 4:30 p.m. and the sixth seeds Elasto Painters jostle with number three Blackwater Elite at 7 p.m. with an eye on closing out things.
Barangay Ginebra took Game One on Saturday, 85-79, over Magnolia to move on the brink of advancing to the next round.
The Kings used a strong finishing kick in a tightly fought contest to create separation in the end and hold off the Hotshots.
Import Justin Brownlee paced Barangay Ginebra in the win, finishing with 20 points, 16 rebounds and five assists.
Guard Stanley Pringle, named player of the game after, added 18 points while Japeth Aguilar and LA Tenorio chipped in 14 and 11 points, respectively.
For Magnolia it was Paul Lee who top-scored with 24 points while replacement import Rakeem Christmas had a better outing than his debut with 18 points and 14 rebounds.
Despite up in the series, Kings coach Tim Cone said they cannot afford to relax against Magnolia, more so since he felt their win in the series opener was not as convincing as they wanted it to be.
“As much as we won, it felt like a loss because we weren’t able to play the game we wanted to play at all. Credit to their defense and coaching staff for putting up a fine defensive game plan. We got to handle it better on Tuesday and make sure we’re better prepared,” Mr. Cone said after the game.
COMPLETE UPSET
Meanwhile, Rain or Shine seeks to complete an upset of higher-seeded Blackwater.
The E-Painters dug deep to get the better of the Elite to wrest the series lead last time around, 83-80.
Gunner Rey Nambatac hit what turned out to be the game-winning trey with 2.3 seconds remaining to complete the come-from-behind victory by Rain or Shine.
Ed Daquioag led the Elasto Painters in scoring with 19 points, followed by import Carl Montgomery with 17 points to go along with 19 boards.
Game hero Nambatac had 13 points with Beau Belga and Gabe Norwood adding 11 and 10 points each.
Rookie Ray Parks, Jr., meanwhile, led Blackwater with 20 points.
Replacement import Greg Smith, who replaced Staphon Blair, had 16 points and 19 rebounds in his tournament debut. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo
