Ginebra staves off Rain or Shine late, enters finals

Barangay Ginebra San Miguel fended off a determined Rain or Shine squad on Monday, securing a 96-94 victory in Game 4 of their best-of-five semifinals series to reach the finals of the 2018 PBA Commissioner’s Cup.

Greg Slaughter and LA Joe Devance led Ginebra with 19 points apiece, combining for nine assists and eight rebounds. LA Tenorio and Justin Brownlee added 16 and 12 points, respectively, with the import also tallying 17 rebounds and eight assists.

Scottie Thompson was the only starter who wasn’t in double figures with six, but the guard had 10 rebounds, three steals, and an assist.

The Elasto Painters went on a late 9-2 run heading into the final two minutes, before Tenorio seized the lead anew for the Gin Kings, 91-90, with 2:08 remaining.

Joe Devance followed it up with a steal and a layup after picking off a Beau Blega pass, while James Yap and Chris Tiu missed their attempts from deep at the other end, giving Ginebra possession with 1:10 to go.

Devance missed his own version of a triple, but Thompson was there for the offensive board. Tenorio did not let Thompson’s crucial board go to waste, sinking a floater to stretch their lead to five, 95-90.

Off a timeout, Reggie Johnson responded with a quick two, as Tenorio missed two consecutive baskets to give Rain or Shine a chance to tie or win the game with 14 seconds remaining. Chris Tiu hit two charities that trimmed the lead to just one with seven seconds to go, but Jeff Chan split with two seconds left to settle the final score.

Save for Johnson who had 22 points and 16 rebounds, no other Rain or Shine starter scored in double figures. The bench, however, did their part, with Raymond Almazan leading the way with 13 points, Mark Borboran and Jay Washington tallied 11 points apiece, while James Yap settled for 10 points off a 3 of 11 clip.

The Elasto Painters now have three days to prepare for the San Miguel Beermen. The two teams clash in Game 1 of their finals on Friday at 7 p.m. at the Araneta Coliseum. —KBK, GMA News