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| TNT lived to fight another day in the PBA Commissioner's Cup Finals. Peter Baltazar |
QUEZON CITY—Chris McCullough outplayed Justin Brownlee in an epic import showdown to lead TNT to a 98-90 win against Ginebra in Game 6 of the PBA Commissioner's Cup Finals in front of 22,731 fans at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Two nights after witnessing Brownlee drop a career-high 54 points, McCullough responded with a 53-point blast on 20 of 36 shooting including 6-of-12 on long range bombs and 22 rebounds.
However, none was more important than his four-point shot with 1:53 left that gave the Tropang 5G enough cushion to hold off the Brownlee-led gallant fight by the Gin Kings.
Jordan Heading added 19 points, one rebound, nine assists, one steal, and one block for TNT, which sent the championship round to a Game 7 on Wednesday night at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay.
The team won Game 6 despite being forced to sit out injured stars Calvin Oftana and Brandon Rosser, and the franchise held on even if Jayson Castro sprained his ankle in-game.
Fresh from the 54-point blast in Ginebra's Game 4 overtime win, Brownlee fired 52 on 23 of 33 field goals, five rebounds, three assists, two steals, and two blocks, but no other Gin King finished in double figures scoring-wise.
