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| Ginebra is back on top of the PBA after three years. PBA Images |
PASAY—After three years of heartbreaks, Ginebra is back on top of the PBA.
The Gin Kings recaptured the Commissioner's Cup championship they last won in 2023 after drubbing the TNT Tropang 5G, 88-76, in the rubber match of the title series on Wednesday night.
In front of the largest crowd the SM Mall of Asia Arena had ever accommodated for a PBA game—24,617 fans to be exact—Ginebra used a second-half turnaround in which it held TNT to only 29 points to steal the win and the championship.
The Tropang 5G had their chances in the clutch as they were just down three, 74-77, with 5:15 left, but the Gin Kings finished the game on an 11-2 run while holding their foes scoreless for the last 2:26 of the game.
While way short of another 52-point blast, unlike his previous two games, Justin Brownlee still powered Ginebra with 30 points on 13 of 24 shooting, 14 rebounds, five assists, one steal, and one block.
Scottie Thompson added a near triple-double of 19 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists with three steals.
Chris McCullough led TNT, which fell short of becoming the first eighth-seeded team to win a PBA championship, with 28 points, 22 rebounds, three assists, one block, and one steal.
Jordan Heading added 21 points, three rebounds, one assist, and one steal, but he went scoreless in the fourth quarter.
