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Manila Bulletin devider Sports devider Basketball devider Brownlee, Thompson star as Ginebra stamps class to draw first blood

Brownlee, Thompson star as Ginebra stamps class to draw first blood

Published Apr 9, 2023 12:59 pm
Under the familiar lights and in front of its usual crowd, Barangay Ginebra simply stamped its class in the brightest of stages.

*Jamie Malonzo with a two-handed flush over the TNT defense (PBA Images)

*

The Kings went off to a blazing start before coming away with an even better finish to draw first blood against the TNT Tropang Giga, 102-90, in Game 1 of their best-of-seven PBA Governors’ Cup Finals at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Easter Sunday, April 9. Justin Brownlee got things going for the Ginebra juggernaut with a blistering start before Jamie Malonzo completed the statement win and gave the sizable 11,580 crowd in the venue a thrilling treat in the league’s 48th anniversary celebration. Brownlee poured 17 of his 31 points in the first half as Ginebra seized control of the contest and kept TNT at bay in what turned out to be a splendid start to his seventh finals appearance. Malonzo, who put on a show with 17 second half points, tallied 21 points apart from eight rebounds while Scottie Thompson orchestrated the Kings’ assault on both ends of the floor with a triple-double of 10 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists. Best Player of the Conference frontrunner also added a double-double of 16 points and 11 rebounds while also fishing for the last two fouls of Poy Erram in the final frame where the Kings pulled away for good. Ginebra head coach Tim Cone admitted that he was actually surprised with the performance of his charges especially in that searing first half where they built a double-digit lead that went to as high as 14 points, 37-23. “I was not a hundred percent sure if we're gonna play good, tonight. (But) the guys came out and they came out really fired up to start the game like that and then setting a good tone at the beginning of the game. I was kinda surprised to be honest with you and they were just able to carry the fight all the way through for 48 minutes,” said Cone. “I was worried about our shape during those 10 days (rest), I was worried about our rotations but it all came together surprisingly well and we were able to win it,” he added. More than the offensive display of the Kings, the defense was also topnotch for the defending champions, limiting TNT to its lowest output in the import-flavored conferences since the 89-85 loss to Ginebra in the Commissioner’s Cup eliminations in November last year. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson was in his usual form, dropping 30 points and 20 rebounds in a losing effort as TNT, even after recovering from the double-digit spread in the first half and cutting the lead down to just two, 54-52, midway through the third frame, couldn’t sustain the effort and complete the comeback Mikey Williams and Erram added 23 and 16 points, respectively, as TNT tries to even the series in Game 2 on Wednesday, April 12, still at the Big Dome.

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Scottie Thompson Baranagay Ginebra TNT Tropang Giga PBA Finals Game 1
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