Brownlee-Abarrientos duo powers Ginebra to 3-2 semis lead

Sports

IMPORT Justin Brownlee and RJ Abarrientos teamed up to lead the Barangay Ginebra Kings to a critical 111-104 win over the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters in Game 5 of their best-of-seven semifinal series on Friday night, May 29, at the Araneta Coliseum.

Brownlee and Abarrientos combined for more than half of Ginebra’s total output as the Kings took a 3-2 series lead and moved a win away from reaching the 50th PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals.

Brownlee fired 32 points while Abarrientos scattered 31 in a staggering 63 combined points that enabled Ginebra to bounce back from an 85-97 loss in Game 4.

Ginebra will try to finish off Rain or Shine in Game 6 on Sunday, May 31. Also looking to advance to the Finals on that day are the defending champions TNT Tropang 5G, who likewise hold a 3-2 lead in their semis affair with the Meralco Bolts.

Bouncing back from a dismal eight-point performance in Game 4Abarrientos went 4-of-8 from three-point territory, 7-of-12 from the two-point zone, and 1-of-1 from the four-point line for a high 57.1 percent shooting clip.

Interestingly, Brownlee also shot 57.1 percent from the field after going 8-for-11 from the two-point area, 2-for-7 from the three-point distance, and 2-for-3 from the four-point territory.

Troy Rosario added 16 points for Ginebra, which led by as much as 18 points en route to the crucial win.

Adrian Nocum paced Rain or Shine with 25 points. Jaylen Johnson added 22 points and 14 rebounds and Jhonard Clarito tossed in 20 markers and 10 rebounds.

THE SCORES:

GINEBRA (111) - Brownlee 32, Abarrientos 31, Rosario 16, Thompson 9, Holt 8, Cu 8, Gray 3, Pinto 2, J. Aguilar 2, Go 0.

RAIN OR SHINE (104) - Nocum 25, Johnson 22, Clarito 20, Mamuyac 11, Tiongson 10, David 6, Santillan 5, Malonzo 4, Caracut 1, Asistio 0, Manaytay 0.QUARTERSCORES: 31-26, 56-44, 83-71, 111-104.(CCM)