MANILA, Philippines - Denham Brown provided Barangay Ginebra the inside presence it badly needed in the absence of Eric Menk, powering the Kings to a 107-86 rout of the Barako Energy Coffee Masters at the Araneta Coliseum last night.
Brown came through with 26 points and 16 rebounds as the Kings repeated over the Coffee Masters while checking their two-game losing run and staying in the upper half of the chart entering the homestretch of the PBA Fiesta Conference double-round elimination phase.
The Kings chalked up a ninth win in 15 games which they dedicated to San Miguel Corp. chairman Danding Cojuangco who’s turning a year older today.
The Kings made a big turnaround from a faltering start with a huge run in the second quarter then never let up as they sent the Coffee Masters reeling to a 13th loss against two wins.
“We had a bad start. Good thing, we picked up our game in the second quarter and sustained the heat in the final half,” said Ginebra coach Jong Uichico.
“The next games are equally crucial for us. We’ll try to get as many wins possible and hopefully it gives us a good spot in the quarters,” Uichico also said.
The Ginebra mentor said they’re aiming for the No. 3 spot – a placing which will give them an outright shot at the semis versus the survivor of the wildcard round.
In his second game in Ginebra uniform, Brown went 3-of-4 from the three-point area, 7-of-17 from the two-point zone and 3-of-4 from the stripe, leading the Kings to the win that kept them at fifth place.
In the nightcap, Alaska Milk bungled two make-or-break shots in the closing seconds, and Talk n Text escaped with a 76-75 win that assured the team of a playoff for an outright semis seat.
“Our usual offense was not there because of fatigue. The good thing is that we won a defensive struggle. We showed we can win even when our shots are not falling,” said Talk n Text coach Chot Reyes.