BUOYED-UP GINEBRA EYES 3-2 SERIES LEAD

GALVANIZED by Justin Brownlee's inspired plays, Barangay Ginebra tries to ride on that momentum when it shoots for the series lead against TNT in Game 5 of their PBA Season 49 Commissioner's Cup Finals on Sunday at the Araneta Coliseum.

The Gin Kings shoot for the 3-2 series lead against the Tropang Giga at 7:30 p.m.

Brownlee surprised everyone by delivering 23 points, 11 rebounds and five assists, managing to play through a heavily taped right shooting hand to protect the dislocated thumb.

The longtime Ginebra reinforcement sustained the injury during the third quarter of Game 3 where the Gin Kings fell, 85-87.

However, the 36-year-old Ginebra import's presence easily infected the Gin Kings in a positive way, allowing the pumped-up squad of coach Tim Cone to deliver the killer 17-2 winup en route to a 95-78 win in Game 4.

The win tied the series at 2-2.

"I still didn't think he was going to play. Once he does, he gets Player of the Game. Amazing. He is not only just a great player but he is such a warrior," said Cone on Brownlee's fiery Game 4 performance.

For TNT, the team of coach Chot Reyes will have to muster the strength to bounce back, especially Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, who was held down to a Finals-low 14 points on just 5-of-18 shooting.

The left-handed Hollis-Jefferson played poorly offensively as he struggled to score against the de-fense of Ginebra wingmen Jamie Malonzo and Stephen Holt.

However, the former Brooklyn Nets forward is expected to bounce back strongly as the newly minted three-time PBA Best Import tries to prevent TNT from falling into a 2-3 series deficit.

Other than the TNT import, locals led by Calvin Oftana, Roger Pogoy and Rey Nambatac will also have to step up further, while big man Poy Erram must keep his temper in check to avoid unnecessary dis-tractions or worse, get tossed out if ever for incurring two technical fouls.

Game 5 is expected to attract a full-house crowd, where the majority of the fans expected to rally be-hind Ginebra, the league's most popular squad.

But knowing Reyes, the Tropang Giga are capable of springing more surprises in an effort to regain control of the series.

2025-03-22T16:21:35Z