MANILA – Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings turned back rival Magnolia Hotshots 93-86 to secure the top spot in the 2018 PBA Governors’ Cup on Sunday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Justin Brownlee led the way with 29 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists for Kings (8-2), which also bagged a twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinal round. Japeth Aguilar and Greg Slaughter added 17 and 11 points, respectively.
In the first game, Alaska Aces pulled away from the gutsy NorthPort Batang Pier in the final quarter for a 95-85 victory and also a twice-to-beat incentive heading into the playoffs.
The Kings waxed hot early with Brownlee and Aljon Mariano connecting in the inside for an 18-8 edge. The Hotshots rallied to within 7 but baskets from Slaughter brought the lead to 24-15.
In the second period the Kings created distance from the Hotshots on outside hits by Aguilar and Brownlee for a 46-31 halftime lead. The Hotshots then made a strong run in the third, cutting the deficit to as low as 4 points.
Slaughter and Solomon Mercado then conspired on the offensive end for the Kings to rack up their advantage, which later reach its largest in the game 76-57 on an Aguilar basket.
The Hotshots did not easily give up. They trimmed the deficit 84-89 with under a minute left – but an inside hit by Brownlee and free throws by Tenorio sealed the victory for the Kings.
Romeo Travis finished with 30 points while Paul Lee and Jiovani Jalalon added 21 and 12 points, respectively, for the Hotshots, which finished their elimination round assignment with an 8-3 card.
A game prior, the Aces held on to a slim 64-62 lead at the end of three quarters, and went on a huge 14-0 scoring run in the fourth behind Kevin Racal, Vic Manuel and Jvee Casio to erect a double-digit lead – and never looked back.
Mike Harris finished with double-double 27 points and 25 rebounds, while Chris Banchero added 15 markers for the Aces (8-3). Rashad Woods had 33 markers for the Batang Pier (2-9)./PN
