Ginebra do-it-all guard Scottie Thompson had an extra motivation as he swung the triple that broke the hearts of the Magnolia Hotshots on Christmas Day.
Ginebra star Scottie Thompson did not want Manila Clasico on Christmas Day to go the distance.
When the do-it-all guard had the chance to finish off Magnolia, he swished a corner trey at the buzzer to give the Gin Kings a 95-92 win in the mainer of the PBA Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup Wednesday.
As it turned out, the former Most Valuable Player had a flight going to Davao on the same night.
“Pasensiya na, may flight pa ako,” Thompson politely said when approached by reporters.
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Thompson finished with 14 points, five rebounds, six assists, a steal and a block, but it was RJ Abarrientos who starred for Ginebra before 12,198 screaming fans at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Cubao.
In his first Christmas Clasico, the nephew of league legend Johnny Abarrientos fired 20 points built on five triples, including one at the 8:19 mark when the Ginebra Gin Kings are making a push to turn things around after being down by as much as 22 points.
But his best moment did not come from a basket.
After a pick-and-roll play with Justin Brownlee, Abarrientos drove to the basket, drew a double team, then leaked the ball to an open Thompson in the left corner.
“It was designed for RJ to make a decision. We wanted to get the ball into RJ’s hands, put him in a pick and roll situation with Justin,” said Ginebra coach Tim Cone.
“So we wanted to flare Justin out, and we spread everybody out and we’re hoping that RJ will get some penetration in the paint then throw it back to Justin or find somebody open. We put the game in RJ’s hands, and he delivered with a great pass to Scottie.”
Brownlee topscored for Ginebra with 28 points he spiked with seven rebounds, five assists, a steal and a block.
Troy Rosario added 15 points, eight rebounds, two assists and the same number of blocks for the Gin Kings, who scored their fourth victory in six games.
Meanwhile, Ricardo Ratliffe paced the Hotshots with 17 points and 16 rebounds. He also had four assists, including the one to Rome dela Rosa that tied the game at 92-all.
Mark Barroca put up 13 points, seven rebounds, four assists and a steal while Paul Lee and Ian Sangalang had 11 points each.
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The Scores:
GINEBRA 95 – Brownlee 28, Abarrientos 20, Rosario 15, Thompson 14, J.Aguilar 8, Holt 5, Ahanmisi 5, Tenorio 0, Cu 0, Mariano 0.
MAGNOLIA 92 – Ratliffe 17, Barroca 13, Lee 11, Sangalang 11, Lucero 8, Balanza 8, Dela Rosa 7, Dionisio 6, Lastimosa 6, Abueva 5, J.Ahanmisi 0.
Quarterscores: 24-30, 41-55, 67-78, 95-92