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Ginebra Crushes Phoenix To Punch Ticket To PBA Semis Showdown With Rain Or Shine
Photo credit: PBA
No second chances needed for Barangay Ginebra San Miguel.
Just hours after Rain or Shine Elasto Painters secured the first semifinal berth, the Gin Kings followed suit in dominant fashion, overpowering Phoenix Super LPG Fuel Masters, 112-81, Friday night at the Ynares Center to advance in the Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup.
Armed with their win-once advantage as the No. 2 seed, Ginebra wasted no time taking control and booking a best-of-seven semifinal clash against Rain or Shine.
The quarterfinal matchup started tight, with Phoenix keeping pace early, but everything changed in the second quarter when Justin Brownlee and Scottie Thompson sparked a huge run that completely shifted the game.
A blazing 14-2 rally turned a slim contest into a double-digit Ginebra lead, 44-32, before the Gin Kings stretched the gap even further to 64-44 heading into halftime.
From there, it became a one-sided affair.
Ginebra never eased up after the break, ballooning the lead to as much as 40 points, 101-61, early in the fourth quarter before cruising to the 31-point victory.
Brownlee once again led the charge with 24 points, five rebounds, and five assists before leaving the game in the third period due to hamstring tightness.
Thompson nearly recorded a triple-double with 16 points, nine rebounds, and nine assists, while RJ Abarrientos added 16 points, Stephen Holt chipped in 11, and Japeth Aguilar contributed eight in the convincing win.
“It’s a total team effort,” Thompson said after the game.
The veteran guard admitted the team wanted to avoid a do-or-die situation against a dangerous Phoenix squad.
“We didn’t want another game kasi mahirap na. It would’ve been 50-50 and Phoenix is a tough team,” he said.
For Phoenix, Ricci Rivero led the scoring with 15 points in his return from a hand injury.
The loss ended the Fuel Masters’ bid for what could have been their fourth semifinal appearance since entering the league in 2015 — and their first under head coach Charles Tiu.
Just hours after Rain or Shine Elasto Painters secured the first semifinal berth, the Gin Kings followed suit in dominant fashion, overpowering Phoenix Super LPG Fuel Masters, 112-81, Friday night at the Ynares Center to advance in the Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup.
Armed with their win-once advantage as the No. 2 seed, Ginebra wasted no time taking control and booking a best-of-seven semifinal clash against Rain or Shine.
The quarterfinal matchup started tight, with Phoenix keeping pace early, but everything changed in the second quarter when Justin Brownlee and Scottie Thompson sparked a huge run that completely shifted the game.
A blazing 14-2 rally turned a slim contest into a double-digit Ginebra lead, 44-32, before the Gin Kings stretched the gap even further to 64-44 heading into halftime.
From there, it became a one-sided affair.
Ginebra never eased up after the break, ballooning the lead to as much as 40 points, 101-61, early in the fourth quarter before cruising to the 31-point victory.
Brownlee once again led the charge with 24 points, five rebounds, and five assists before leaving the game in the third period due to hamstring tightness.
Thompson nearly recorded a triple-double with 16 points, nine rebounds, and nine assists, while RJ Abarrientos added 16 points, Stephen Holt chipped in 11, and Japeth Aguilar contributed eight in the convincing win.
“It’s a total team effort,” Thompson said after the game.
The veteran guard admitted the team wanted to avoid a do-or-die situation against a dangerous Phoenix squad.
“We didn’t want another game kasi mahirap na. It would’ve been 50-50 and Phoenix is a tough team,” he said.
For Phoenix, Ricci Rivero led the scoring with 15 points in his return from a hand injury.
The loss ended the Fuel Masters’ bid for what could have been their fourth semifinal appearance since entering the league in 2015 — and their first under head coach Charles Tiu.
May 16, 2026
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