PBA: George King impresses in debut, Sedrick Barefield calls 'night night' on Ginebra as Blackwater pulls upset

George King outlasted Justin Brownlee in their import clash. PBA Images

By Ivan Saldajeno

MANILA—George King proved he was good as advertised in his PBA debut, but Sedrick Barefield sealed the deal for Blackwater as they stunned Ginebra, 95-88, in their Governors' Cup showdown on Friday night at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

King was effective in his first game as a Bossing, tallying 33 points on 12-of-23 shooting including a 5-of-10 total clip on long-range shots, 19 rebounds, and four assists.

However, Barefield closed out the match for the Ever Bilena franchise by scoring on a pull-up four-pointer with 31.2 seconds left, and he even told everyone inside the arena that he just called game with the night-night goal celebration.

Barefield added 13 points, two assists, and one steal for Blackwater, who did not just get out of a 0-3 hole but also beat Ginebra for the first time since 2019.

Brownlee fired 37 points, six rebounds, five assists, and one block for the Gin Kings, but he went 13-of-34 from the field. 

Japeth Aguilar added 17 points, 11 rebounds, and one assist as they dropped to 1-2 in Group B.

The Scores:

BLACKWATER 95 – King 33, Barefield 13, David 11, Rosario 10, Guinto 9, Kwekuteye 8, Ilagan 5, Chua 4, Escoto 2, Casio 0, Mitchell 0, Ponferrada 0

GINEBRA 88 – Brownlee 37, Aguilar 17, Abarrientos 10, Ahanmisi 9, Holt 5, Thompson 4, Go 4, Adamos 2, Cu 0, Garcia 0

QUARTERS: 20-21, 46-44, 77-64, 95-88

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