With the results already done and settled, Robert Bolick drove hard to the basket for a layup but was met at the top and was rejected by Scottie Thompson. That sequence hardly mattered to the outcome of the game but it summed up how the quarterfinals series between their teams went through.
Barangay Ginebra San Miguel simply managed to pull all the stops it needed to keep NorthPort grounded.
And it was exactly the same story in Game 2 of their best-of-three quarterfinals series as the Kings bucked a slow start to complete a sweep of the Batang Pier, 99-93, in the 2022 PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the PhilSports Arena on Saturday, Dec. 10.
Ginebra started out the game flat, trailing by as many as 18 points early in the opening frame but leaned on its pressure defense to get its bearings going in the second half.
Justin Brownlee was at the forefront of the attack for the Kings, dropping 13 of his team-high 20 points in the second half while getting ample support from the rest of the team as five other players scored in twin digits.
Thompson flirted with a triple-double and finished with 15 points, nine rebounds and nine assists while LA Tenorio provided the poise and veteran presence in the payoff period with 14, built on four triples – the last of which allowed him to tie James Yap at the third spot of the all-time three-point list with a total of 1,178.
Jamie Malonzo and Christian Standhardinger added 14 and 13, respectively, while Stanley Pringle was the other King in double figures with 10.
With the win, Ginebra forged a mouth-watering collision with rival Magnolia in the best-of-five semifinals.
The Batang Pier broke out of the gates with guns blazing, taking a 29-11 lead behind the solid start from Will Navarro who led the assault with 10 first quarter points before he hurt his knee that sidelined him the rest of the way.
Ginebra tried to take advantage but NorthPort showed great resolve and held the lead, 47-43, at the break despite a 30-point eruption from the Kings. Jeff Chan kept the NorthPort ship afloat but an 11-0 rally from Brownlee, Thompson and Tenorio that turned a 54-56 deficit into a 65-56 advantage
NorthPort, with its tournament lives on the line, made a last ditch run in the final frame, cutting the lead down to just four, 97-93, behind Arvin Tolentino and Kevin Ferrer but the rally proved to be short-lived as Standhardinger and Thompson baskets slammed the door on the Batang Pier.
Jeff Chan finished with 20 points while Tolentino and Ferrer added 18 points apiece in a losing effort for NorthPort.