Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings blew out the Bay Area Dragons, 114-99, in their winner-take-all Game 7 of the 47th PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals on Sunday, night, at the jam-packed Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan.
Winning the series, 4-3, the Gin Kings sealed their 15th overall crown and did it before a record 54,589 crowd.
With the title on the line, a tight duel was expected but Ginebra had other plans as they put the game away early behind a blistering run in the second period.
The Gin Kings ended the first quarter with a slim 27-21 lead, but showed up with guns ablaze in the second canto where they exploded for 34 points while holding the Dragons to 18, leading to a huge 61-39 lead at the bend.
Ginebra did not relent in the final half as it maintained a double-digit cushion until the final buzzer.
Ginebra’s resident import Justin Brownlee was in his usual deadly self, finishing with a game-high 34 points while also collecting 12 assists.
Jamie Malonzo added 22 points, while Scottie Thompson flirted with a double-double after tallying 18 markers and nine rebounds.
Three other Gin Kings scored in double figures in what was a balanced attacked by Ginebra, whose head coach Tim Cone snagged his league-best 25th championship title.
Japeth Aguilar scored 14 points, while Christian Standhardinger piled up 12 points, 10 rebounds and six assists and collared the Finals Most Valuable Player award.
Veteran playmaker LA Tenorio chipped in 10 points.
Import Myles Powell led Bay Area with 29 points. Hayden Blankley donated 25, while Liu Chuanxing added 17.
THE SCORES:
GINEBRA – Brownlee 34, Malonzo 22, Thompson 18, J.Aguilar 14, Standhardinger 12, Tenorio 10, Pringle 3, Gray 1, Pinto 0, Mariano 0.
BAY AREA – Powell 29, Blankley 25, Liu 17, Lam 13, Yang 10, Zhu 5, Reid 0, Ewing 0, Ju 0, Song 0.
QUARTERS: 27-21, 61-39, 95-74, 114-99.
Photo courtesy of PBA Media Bureau
Follow the writer on Twitter: @burnsports
