PBA: Barangay Ginebra outlasts TNT, captures Commissioner's Cup crown

After three years, Barangay Ginebra San Miguel are once again kings of the PBA.

The Gin Kings defeated TNT, 88-76, in Game 7 of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals on Wednesday at the Mall of Asia Arena to capture the championship.

Trailing 63-56, Justin Brownlee ignited a 12-0 run with around four minutes left in the third quarter, helping Barangay Ginebra seize a 68-63 lead entering the final period.

Japeth Aguilar added two free throws early in the fourth quarter after drawing a foul from Chris McCullough before RR Pogoy finally halted Ginebra’s run.

The Gin Kings continued to keep TNT at bay and stretched their advantage to 77-69 with just under seven minutes remaining.

McCullough responded with a personal 5-0 run to cut TNT’s deficit to 77-74.

With about three minutes left, Nards Pinto knocked down a corner triple to give Barangay Ginebra some breathing room heading into the closing minutes.

McCullough scored underneath to pull TNT within three with around two minutes remaining, but RJ Abarrientos came through in the clutch with a three-pointer that effectively sealed the victory. Brownlee split a pair of free throws before Scottie Thompson and Troy Rosario added late baskets as the Tropang 5G ran out of steam down the stretch.

"Well, any seventh game is a really hard game to play. The players are beat up through the first six and then through the semifinals. You don't have any days off for like three weeks. So it's really a game of attrition," said Barangay Ginebra head coach Tim Cone, who captured his 26th PBA title.

"It's just a really, really difficult game to play. It's hard to make it pretty because the guys are on their last legs. Oftentimes, you don't shoot the ball that well, so it really comes down to who can defend and who can make the big shots down the stretch. And we had some really big shots to get ahead. Then they went to that zone to protect McCullough. Of course, the zone takes away your flow as well.

"But we just battled. It was one of those games where both teams simply kept fighting the whole way through," he added.

Brownlee led Barangay Ginebra with 30 points, 14 rebounds, five assists, one steal, and one block.

Thompson, meanwhile, tallied 19 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists, and three steals in the title-clinching win. He was later named Finals MVP after averaging 10.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, 5.6 assists, and 1.3 steals per game in the series.

McCullough paced TNT with 28 points, 22 rebounds, three assists, one steal, and one block, while Jordan Heading led the Tropang 5G locals with 21 points, three rebounds, one assist, and one steal.

The championship ended a three-year title drought for Barangay Ginebra, whose last crown came in the 2023 Commissioner’s Cup, when it defeated Bay Area in the Finals.

Scores:

Barangay Ginebra 88 – Brownlee 30, Thompson 19, Abarrientos 13, Rosario 13, J.Aguilar 7, Pinto 6, Holt 0, Gray 0, Cu 0.

TNT 76- McCullough 28, Heading 21, Pogoy 15, Oftana 5, Aurin 4, Nambatac 3, Williams 0, Ganuelas-Rosser 0, Galinato 0, Khobuntin 0.

Quarters: 18-16, 40-47, 68-63, 88-76.

—JKC, GMA News