There is now a triple tie for the top spot in Group B with Ginebra, Rain or Shine and San Miguel sharing a 5-2 win-loss record.
When he is on, Justin Brownlee is simply unstoppable.
That was exactly the case on Friday, September 13 when Brownlee turned in a prolific outing to steer Brgy. Ginebra San Miguel to a masterful 124-102 win over Rain or Shine in the PBA Season 49 Governors’ Cup.
Brownlee waxed hot from the three-point area, shooting five-for-6 to finish with 40 points and 10 rebounds as Ginebra rolled to a fourth straight win to join San Miguel and the Elasto Painters atop Group B with identical 5-2 win-loss records.
[ALSO READ: PBA: Jordan Adams returns, explodes for 49 to fuel San Miguel's victory over listless Phoenix]
“Our key was whether we could stay with them and play them in the fourth quarter, whether we have enough energy to match their energy in the fourth quarter,” said Gin Kings coach Tim Cone.
“Thankfully, we got a lead going into the fourth so that took a little pressure off of us.”
Ginebra, as it turned out, had more than enough energy to break the game wide open in the final minutes.
The naturalized Filipino Brownlee, who also got four assists and two steals, dropped eight points in a telling 17-2 run that turned a 97-88 lead into breakaway.
Last season's Rookie of the Year Stephen Holt then delivered the finishing blows as the Gin Kings exacted revenge game against the team that beat them in the first round.
Holt dropped three straight triples for good measure, 123-96, entering the final two minutes.
The former Terrafirma star and new Gin King was scoreless in the first half but fired 15 of 18 points in the last quarter.
Rain or Shine struggled to exploit its size advantage over the Gin Kings, who lost Isaac Go to an apparent knee injury early in the match.
Import Aaron Fuller led the Elasto Painters with 28 points and 11 rebounds but scored only two in the payoff quarter.
Jhonard Clarito and Felix Lemetti added 16 and 15 points, respectively.
The Scores:
GINEBRA 124 – Brownlee 40, J.Aguilar 21, Holt 18, Thompson 17, Abarrientos 14, Ahanmisi 13, Garcia 1, Pinto 0, R.Aguilar 0, Cu 0, Adamos 0, Pessumal 0, Go 0.
RAIN OR SHINE 102 – Fuller 28, Clarito 16, Lemetti 15, Nocum 12, Caracut 8, Santillan 6, Villegas 6, Tiongson 5, Mamuyac 4, Norwood 2, Datu 0.
Quarterscores: 38-30 58-54, 90-79, 124-102