MANILA, Philippines – The fact that the squad had been apart for more than two weeks did not provide any difficulties when the Barangay Ginebra Kings got back together to play in the restart of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup.

The Ginebra team, led by Justin Brownlee and his colleagues, took care of business at the beginning of their semifinal matchup with the NorthPort Batang Pier. They were able to pull away in the third period, which led to a 115-93 thrashing at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Wednesday night.

Considering that NorthPort is the first seed in the playoffs, it is surprising that the Ginebra core group was able to take a rest thanks to an explosive breakaway in the third quarter. This allowed the Kings backups to perform the mop-up in the blowout.

Despite the fact that Ginebra won by 22 points, the coach Tim Cone will not let the victory get to him since he believes it is just one victory in a lengthy series.

However, it is unquestionably a significant boost for a Ginebra team that did not receive the proper training over the lengthy break due to the fact that Cone, Justin Brownlee, Scottie Thompson, Jamie Malonzo, Japeth Aguilar, Troy Rosario, and LA Tenorio were all representing their respective teams with Gilas Pilipinas.

In addition, not a single member of the Nationals displayed any signs of exhaustion.

Barangay Ginebra had a dominating 88-65 advantage heading into the final period of the game by producing a powerful 32-14 run in the third quarter. This run established a wide open game for the team. The offensive surge was the result of a collaborative effort, with Troy Rosario, Justin Brownlee, Jamie Malonzo, Scottie Thompson, and Japeth Aguilar making significant contributions to the success of the offensive surge.

Ginebra initially struggled to pull away, having only a slender five-point lead at halftime, 56-51, despite the fact that NorthPort’s Kadeem Jack had a solid showing, scoring 21 points. Although NorthPort maintained their competitiveness throughout the first two quarters of the game, the Kings emerged from the break with a heightened level of intensity and concentration.

In the second half, Rosario, Brownlee, and RJ Abarrientos were the ones who led the charge and orchestrated a relentless offensive attack that completely dominated NorthPort. 

In addition to their offensive firepower, Ginebra’s defensive tweaks proved to be extremely important in preventing NorthPort from shooting successfully from the perimeter. The Kings increased the pressure they applied and tightened their defensive rotations, which caused NorthPort’s attacking flow to be disrupted and reduced the number of scoring opportunities they had.

The Ginebra basketball team displayed its championship heritage by displaying resiliency and domination on both ends of the court with its excellent performance in the second half. Through this victory, they have demonstrated that they are able to switch gears when it is necessary, which is a positive sign as they continue their campaign in the tournament.

During the third quarter, Rosario, who is a reserve for the national team, made nine shots and finished with 16 points and eight rebounds. Brownlee, who led the team in scoring with 19, and Abarrientos, who added 15, also contributed to the team’s total.

While Arvin Tolentino, a contender for the award of Best Player of the Conference, struggled to score only eight points, Jack, who is a leading contender for the honor of Best Import, carried most of the battle for NorthPort with his 33 points.

Other than Joshua Munzon, the only other NorthPort player to finish in double figures was Munzon, who finished with ten.

With a score of 33-22, the Kings got off to a strong start and quickly established a lead of double digits.

Scores at the end of the match

Ginebra with 115 points for the win

Individual scores: Brownlee 19, Rosario 16, Abarrientos 15, Malonzo 14, J. Aguilar 11, Cu 9, Holt 7, Mariano 7, Thompson 6, Ahanmisi 5, R. Aguilar 3, Pessumal 2, Pinto 1, Adamos 0.

NorthPort with 93 points

Individual scores: Jack 33, Munzon 10, Tolentino 8, Navarro 8, Nelle 7, Onwubere 7, Taha 6, Bulanadi 4, Yu 3, Cuntapay 3, Flores 2, Miranda 2.

Scores per quarter

31-22, 56-51, 88-65, 115-93