Barangay Ginebra stared down the towering presence of 7-foot-3 sensation Bol Bol and walked away battle-tested, bruised, and playoff-ready.
Fueled by relentless hustle and a punishing rebounding effort, the Gin Kings subdued TNT, 93-86, Sunday night at the packed Mall of Asia Arena to clinch the No. 2 seed in the PBA Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup playoffs.
The emotionally charged victory not only secured Ginebra a twice-to-beat advantage but also set up a quarterfinal showdown with seventh-seeded Phoenix Fuel Masters, while TNT slid to No. 8 and into a dangerous duel against top-seed NLEX.
Before tip-off, Ginebra’s mission was crystal clear: neutralize Bol Bol’s overwhelming size and dominate the boards. The Gin Kings answered with grit.
Justin Brownlee delivered another all-around masterpiece with 18 points and 15 rebounds, battling Bol possession after possession in a fierce interior war that electrified the nearly 14,000 fans in attendance.
Bol still erupted for a monstrous 33-point, 10-rebound performance, but Ginebra’s depth and physicality ultimately wore TNT down in crunch time.
RJ Abarrientos provided crucial firepower with 17 points, while Norbert Torres chipped in 10 and Scottie Thompson added nine in another bruising, blue-collar effort.
Ginebra coach Tim Cone admitted slowing down Bol was no easy task, but praised his team’s defensive discipline and collective toughness.
“He’s such a force,” Cone said. “We felt we played great defense in holding him down to 33.”
Abarrientos echoed the same gritty mindset, saying the team simply refused to back down against TNT’s intimidating frontline.
“Ginawa lang namin ang magagawa naming as a team,” he said.
The victory gave Ginebra a strong 9-3 finish heading into the playoffs and further strengthened the team’s belief that it is peaking at the right time.
“Sobrang ready na kami. Eto stepping stone naming, eto ang preparasyon namin for the playoffs,” Abarrientos added.
Earlier in the Mother’s Day twin bill, Magnolia dismantled Meralco, 93-76, to seize the fifth seed and arrange another quarterfinal clash against the fourth-seeded Bolts.
The other playoff pairing will feature third-seeded Rain or Shine against sixth-ranked San Miguel Beer.
As top-four finishers, NLEX, Ginebra, Rain or Shine, and Meralco all earned the coveted twice-to-beat edge.
The quarterfinals begin Wednesday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium, with TNT facing NLEX at 5:15 p.m. followed by Magnolia and Meralco at 7:30 p.m.