The Barangay Ginebra Kings continued to roll in the 2018 PBA Commissioner's Cup, drawing first blood in their best-of-five semifinal series against the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, 102-89, Sunday at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
Behind Justin Brownlee's 35-point explosion, Ginebra held off the top-seeded Elasto Painters to extend its winning streak to eight.
The Kings found their range early as they soared to a 31-17 lead after one quarter. They widened the gap to as much as 18 in the second frame, thanks to quality minutes from Jeff Chan, before Rain or Shine found its offensive rhythm.
Five straight points from Reggie Johnson cut Ginebra's lead to just five, but Brownlee nailed an off-balance jumper at the buzzer to make it 52-45 at halftime.
The Elasto Painters got a huge boost from James Yap after the break. He dropped ten of his 15 points in the third period to help Johnson keep Rain or Shine within striking distance, 76-70, at the end of three quarters.
Ginebra, however, waxed hot in the fourth period, with Chan and Sol Mercado starting the onslaught by lighting it up from downtown.
The crowd favorites built an insurmountable 24-point cushion, 102-78, after a 15-0 run. Rain or Shine could not recover in the final three minutes.
Brownlee flirted with a triple-double by grabbing 14 rebounds and dishing out nine assists. Chan went 3-for-5 from deep to finish with 21 points in less than 22 minutes of play, while Greg Slaughter contributed 20 markers.
The Elasto Painters relied heavily on Johnson, who registered a double-double of 30 points and 13 boards in the loss.
THE SCORES
Ginebra (102): Brownlee 35, Chan 21, Slaughter 20, Devance 12, Tenorio 5, Thompson 4, Mercado 3, Aguilar 2, Caperal 0, Manuel 0, Ferrer 0, Mariano 0
Rain or Shine (89): Johnson 30, Yap 15, Daquioag 10, Tiu 7, Washington 6, Ponferada 6, Ahanmisi 6, Belga 4, Nambatac 3, Norwood 2, Almazan 0
Quarter scores: 31-27, 52-45, 76-60, 102-89
EXTRA DRIBBLES
According to coach Tim Cone, Japeth Aguilar did not see action for Ginebra due to significant swelling in his Achilles tendon area.
The Kings assisted 30 of their 38 field goals, with Brownlee, Scottie Thompson, Joe Devance, Sol Mercado, and LA Tenorio dishing at least four dimes.
The Elasto Painters trailed throughout the match. They closed the final frame with an 11-0 blitz but it was not enough to erase a huge 24-point deficit.
NEXT GAME
Game 2 on July 17 (Tuesday) at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum