Tony Bishop scored a clutch three off a broken play to help ice Ginebra's win in Legazpi. PBA Images |
PASAY--Ginebra completed the list of teams that will enter the PBA Commissioner's Cup quarterfinals with a twice-to-beat advantage after taking down NLEX, 103-99, on Saturday night at the Ibalong Centrum for Recreation in Legazpi.
Lady Luck shone on the Gin Kings as clutch plays powered by breaks of the game helped them defeat the Road Warriors in a huge showdown with important playoff implications.
Maverick Ahanmisi found himself wide open after Sean Anthony slipped while guarding him and scored a go-ahead three to put Ginebra ahead, 96-94, with 2:46 remaining.
Later in crunch time, Anthony deflected a pass intended for Tony Bishop, but as Bishop recovered the loose ball, he went for a pull-up three with the shotclock winding down that went in, giving the Gin Kings a 101-97 cushion with 1:07 to go.
DeAndre Williams-Baldwin kept the Road Warriors in the game with a two-handed dunk off Robert Bolick's feed to cut the lead to two, 101-99, with 11 seconds to go, but Stanley Pringle iced the game for the Gin Kings after nailing two free throws with 5.6 seconds left.
Bishop finished with 27 points, 13 rebounds, four assists, two blocks, and one steal for Ginebra, which joined a three-way tie with San Miguel and Meralco for third place at 8-3 to end the elimination round.
However, with the Bolts having the worst quotient among the teams regardless if the Phoenix Fuel Masters also join the logjam or not, they will fall to the fifth seed with a twice-to-beat disadvantage in the next round.
Christian Standhardinger added 18 points, eight rebounds, and six assists for Ginebra, whose final seeding will depend on Phoenix's game on Sunday night at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig against TNT.
The Gin Kings will settle for the fourth seed and a quarterfinal tie against the Bolts if the Fuel Masters beat the Tropang Giga which would give them the second seed in the process.
However, Ginebra could jump to the third seed and a quarterfinal clash against sixth-seeded NorthPort if Phoenix loses to TNT.
Williams-Baldwin had 27 points, 14 rebounds, five assists, one block, and three steals, while Bolick had 10 points, 11 assists, and eight rebounds for NLEX, which fell to 4-7.
The team can now only hope for a Phoenix win so they can play TNT again on Wednesday night for the last quarterfinal berth.
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