George King finished with 39 points, 15 rebounds and five assists for Blackwater, which improved to 3-3 after downing NLEX in the PBA Season 49 Governors’ Cup on Friday, Sept. 6.
Blackwater import George King made the crown gesture ala LeBron James after scoring on a fallaway against the outstretched arms of Robbie Herndon.
That shot pretty much sealed the Bossing’s 110-99 win over NLEX in the PBA Season 49 Governors’ Cup at the Ninoy Aquinos Staidum on Friday, Sept. 6.
Since suiting up for the first time for the Bossing in their match against Ginebra, King helped the team string together three straight victories for a 3-3 record in Group B.
He finished with 39 points, 15 rebounds and five assists.
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King, the second round pick by the Phoenix Suns in the 2018 NBA Draft, did not do it alone.
Troy Rosario chipped in 15 points and 14 rebounds for the Bossing, who led by as many as 20 points in the third period before doing just enough to keep the Road Warriors at arm’s length until the final buzzer.
Sedrick Barefield had 14 points and five assists, RK Ilagan scored 13, while Justin Chua and Christian David added 11 and 10, respectively.
Despite getting some semblance of success recently, Blackwater coach Jeff Cariaso said they cannot afford to be contented.
In the Philippine Cup last season, the Bossing had a strong 3-0 start before piling up losses right after.
“We have to be able to overcome again just any thought of complacency. I think we’re in the good space. I think the players understand me more. They understand the situation that we’re in. Our players are maturing better and improved that aspect where they all understand that we haven’t done anything yet; we haven’t achieved anything yet,” said Cariaso.
“The goal is to just continue getting better and improving. Our next game, we’re already thinking about. That’s going to be a really big opponent versus Ginebra. We have to prepare well for them.”
Myke Henry put up 26 points, 12 rebounds, six assists, and three steals for the Road Warriors, who absorbed a third loss in six games.
Robert Bolick had a near triple-double outing with 21 points, nine rebounds and nine assists, while Herndon chipped in 18 points.
The Scores:
BLACKWATER 110 – King 39, Rosario 15, Barefield 14, Ilagan 13, Chua 11, David 10, Kwekuteye 4, Mitchell 2, Escoto 2, Hill 0, Ponferrada 0.
NLEX 99 – Henry 26, Bolick 21, Herndon 18, Valdez 8, Policarpio 7, Amer 6, Nermal 4, Miranda 3, Marcelo 2, Fajardo 2, Anthony 2.
Quarterscores: 28-21, 61-44, 84-73, 110-99