BY: REYNALD MAGALLON
Chris McCullough exploded for 17 in the final frame as TNT moved one win away from a Finals return following a 103-95 victory over Meralco in Game 5 of their best-of-seven PBA Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup semifinals at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Friday, May 29.
Getting acclimated to his new team and his rhythm back, McCullough took over in the fourth quarter to create the much-needed separation in the once back-and-forth affair against the Bolts.
McCullough even had a stretch in the payoff period where he fired 12 straight points to turn a slim 86-83 advantage into a 98-91 lead with a little over three minutes left in the game.
The former San Miguel Beer import erupted for 42 points to go with 11 rebounds while Jordan Heading fired 22 points and six assists. RR Pogoy had 16 points and Calvin Oftana chipped in 12 as TNT seized a 3-2 series lead.
According to PBA chief statistician Fidel Mangonon III, teams who have taken such a lead in the best-of-seven affair have an 80 percent chance of winning the entire series.
Patrick Gardner paced Meralco with 25 points and 12 rebounds while Chris Banchero and Cliff Hodge added 12 apiece in a losing effort.
Meanwhile, Barangay Ginebra’s 1-2 punch in Justin Brownlee and RJ Abarrientos hit the mark as the Kings moved a win away from Finals with a 111-104 victory over Rain or Shine.
After being limited to his first-ever single digit scoring this conference, Abarrientos bounced back big time and fired 31 points — including the timely hits late in the third quarter that steadied the ship for the Kings in the face of another looming Elasto Painters storm.
Brownlee complemented Abarrientos’ hot-shooting with 32 points to go with six rebounds and six assists while Troy Rosario chipped in 16 points and seven rebounds.
Ginebra led by as many as 15 points behind its torrid outside shooting in the first half where it nailed 10 triples — already a huge improvement from the team’s five three-point makes in Game 4.
The Elasto Painters came with three, 64-67, but hits from Brownlee, Abarrientos and Jeremiah Gray quickly restored order as they reestablished a double-digit lead that proved to be enough to hold off the ROS.
Adrian Nocum, who almost singledhandedly put ROS back in the game, finished with 25 points although he was held scoreless in the fourth typified by the huge chasedown block by Brownlee against him.
