Justin Brownlee, Christian Standhardinger and Jamie Malonzo formed a deadly triumvirate as Barangay Ginebra whipped Converge, 120-101, to strengthen its bid for a twice-to-beat advantage in the 2023 PBA Governors’ Cup at the PhilSports Arena on Sunday, March 5.
The Kings trio took care of the scoring, combining for 85 of their team’s total output while the rest of the team buckled down on the defensive end and completely shut down FiberXers import Jamaal Franklin who was limited to his lowest output in the conference.
The win allowed Ginebra to tie idle San Miguel at the second spot of the standings with identical 7-2 records.
Malonzo led the assault for Ginebra, scattering 22 of his career-high 29 points in the first half as he connived with Brownlee who put up an all-around effort of 28 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists.
Standhardinger, meanwhile, posted 12 of his 28 points that also went with 12 rebounds in the third frame where the Kings seized complete control of the contest.
Aside from the huge offensive display, however, the Kings showed their fangs on the defensive end as the high-scoring Franklin, who was fresh off a season-high 57-point explosion in the FiberXers’ 129-132 loss to the Meralco Bolts, was held to a measly four points after leading the league in scoring with 35.5 points.
What made Franklin’s performance even stranger though was his five attempts in 35 minutes of play – a far cry from his 36 attempts against the Bolts.
Without the usual output from Franklin, Converge struggled to keep in step to the free-flowing offense of Ginebra which stretched the lead to its highest at 22, 118-96, late in the final frame.
Maverick Ahanmisi tried to carry the fight for Converge with his 24 points but were not enough as the FiberXers are now out of the Top 4 race after wrapping up the eliminations with a 6-5 record.