By REYNALD MAGALLON
Barangay Ginebra and TNT boosted their respective bids for a top 4 spot following their victories in the PBA Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup at the Araneta Coliseum on Friday, April 24.
The Kings overcame a major scare against Blackwater and came away with a 115-108 escape while the Tropang 5G vented their ire on Macau, 119-112.
Ginebra seized a share of second with a 6-2 record while TNT moved half a game behind them with a 6-3 slate.
John Pinto came up huge for the Kings, burying a clutch three to repel the Bossing who came too close for comfort after they cut the lead down to just two, 110-108, with less than two minutes left.
“They were ready to come out. We weren’t so ready to start the game but they were ready to come out. We knew they would be because they have the confidence after beating San Miguel,” said Cone.
Justin Brownlee led the balanced offense for Ginebra with 21 points while Scottie Thompson and RJ Abarrientos added 19 and 18 points, respectively. Troy Rosario also scored 17 points to step up for Japeth Aguilar, who was hurt after a collision with Robert Upshaw III.
Upshaw III paced the Bossing with 43 points.
TNT, meanwhile, finally got ample contribution from its locals to repulse Macau.
Bol Bol was dominant as usual with 37 points and 14 rebounds but the bigger story was the 20 points scored by Jordan Heading.
Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser also had 17 points — 12 of which he poured in the third while Calvin Oftana added 16 points and 10 rebounds.
