GINEBRA NAKAUNA
(Araneta Coliseum)
5:45 p.m. – Ginebra vs Bay Area
KINUHA ng Barangay Ginebra ang Game 1 sa PBA Commissioner’s Cup finals kontra Bay Area makaraang maitakas ang 96-81 panalo sa Christmas Day special kagabi sa Mall of Asia Arena sa Pasay City.
Pawang nagtrabaho ang starting group ng Ginebra na sina Justin Brownlee, LA Tenorio, Christian Standhardinger, Scottie Thompson at Jamie Malonzo upang pangunahan ang koponan sa krusyal na head start sa race-to-four series.
Nanguna si Brownlee na may 28 points at 13 rebounds, kumubra si Standhardinger ng double-double na may 16 markers at 10 boards habang kumana si Tenorio ng conference high 22 points na sinamahan ng 3 assists, 3 steals at 2 rebounds.
Kumayod nang husto si Thompson sa third-quarter breakaway at tumapos na may 14 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 blocks at 1 steal habang nag-ambag si Malonzo ng 10 boards at 3 markers.
Magkakasama nilang binigyan ang cheering Ginebra die-hards ng super special Christmas treat.
“A Christmas Day game is extra special, and our guys threated it that way,” wika ni Ginebra coach Tim Cone hinggil sa panalo sa Game 1 kung saan naduplika nila ang panalo sa Dragons sa elims.
Sisikapin ng Kings na kunin ang 2-0 bentahe sa pagpapatuloy ng series sa Smart Araneta Coliseum sa Miyerkoles.
Ayon kay Tenorio, ang susi ay ang pagsalang sa laro na may tamang mindset.
“Mahirap because of all the distractions in this season. Tayong mga Pinoy, maraming gatherings in this season. Good thing, nakapag-focus kami and kept in mind that it is very important to get this game and set the tone,” ani Tenorio.
Ang Ginebra chief playmaker ay gumawa ng malaki habang malayo sa kanyang pamilya sa unang pagkakataon sa Araw ng Pasko.
“It’s a blessing na rin that my family get to spend vacation, and while I wasn’t able to join them, I’m playing in the finals before a big crowd. Ginamit ko na lang motivation, sabi ko I might as well win this thing,” ani Tenorio.
Para kay Thompson, ang susi ay ang matinding depensa kontra No. 1 scoring team sa torneo.
“We made sure to limit their touches, especially their import. We stayed aggressive as we wanted this game badly for us to take control,” aniya.
Ang Dragons ay pinangunahan ni Andrew Nicholson na tumapos na may 27 markers at 12 boards.
Iskor:
Barangay Ginebra (96) – Brownlee 28, Tenorio 22, Standhardinger 16, Thompson 14, J. Aguilar 6, Pringle 5, Malonzo 3, Gray 2, Pessumal 0, R. Aguilar 0, Mariano 0.
Bay Area (81) – Nicholson 27 Ynag 12, Zhu 12, Lam 11, Ju 6, Song 5, Blankley 4, Liu 2, Zheng 2, Reid 0.
QS: 22-25, 45-40, 72-64, 96-81.
