Gin Kings dispose of Batang Pier to forge finals clash vs Tropang Giga

MANILA, Philippines -- The PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals is set.

Barangay Ginebra punched the final ticket to the championship round after decimating the NorthPort Batang Pier, 126-99, in the closeout Game 5 of the semifinal series Friday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Ginebra dropped a 27-5 bomb in the third quarter to break the game wide open and never looked back en route to sealing a finals duel with TNT.

Six Gin Kings finished in double figures, three of whom finishing with at least 20 points.

Justin Brownlee spearheaded Ginebra with 21 points, 11 rebounds, three assists and three steals, while RJ Abarrientos and Jamie Malonzo each had 20 apiece. The former had 10 assists, while the latter had six boards and three dimes.

NorthPort was trailing by nine points, 53-62, at the half after a late 3-pointer by William Navarro to end the first two quarters.

But a massive 14-0 run to start the third quarter gave them a 23-point edge, 76-53.

Arvin Tolentino broke the dry spell for NorthPort, but Ginebra continued on, pouring another 13-5 run to grab a game-high 31-point spread, 89-58.

This was just too big a lead to come back from, as the nearest the Batang Pier got to was 17 points, 99-116, with 3:30 remaining after a deuce by Navarro.

While the Gin Kings were able to win big, they will monitor the status of big man Troy Rosario, who seemingly injured his right ankle early in the third quarter.

Japeth Aguilar produced 18 points for Ginebra, while Scottie Thompson and Rosario had 14 and 11, respectively.

Kadeem Jack powered NorthPort with 31 markers, six boards, three dimes, a steal and a swat. Allyn Bulanadi added 26 points, while Joshua Munzon and Paolo Taha had 12 and 10 markers in that order.

PBA Best Player of the Conference frontrunner Arvin Tolentino was limited to just nine points on 2-of-13 shooting, to go with 13 rebounds, three assists, a steal and a block.

All four wins of Ginebra in the semis were all in double figures.

This is the 32nd time Ginebra is headed to the PBA Finals, as well as head coach Tim Cone’s 40th Finals appearance.

Ginebra and TNT faced each other in the PBA Governors’ Cup finals, which the Tropang Giga won in six games.

Game 1 of the finals is set next Friday, March , at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.