Kings restore pride, nip Aces in Dubai

MANILA, Philippines - Greg Slaughter put up another monstrous double-double game capped by the game-winning pair of charities at endgame as Barangay Ginebra finally scored a first win in PBA Season 41 with a 93-92 nail-biter over Alaska Milk at the Al Wasl Sports Club in Dubai Saturday night (early yesterday morning in Manila).

Slaughter canned in pressure-packed free throws with four seconds to go, and the Gin Kings avoided what could have been another horrific finish, foiling the Aces’ bid for a sweep of the PBA’s latest two-game Dubai presentation.

The 7-foot-1 center came through with game highs of 27 points and 19 rebounds while frontcourt partner Japeth Aguilar piled up 23 markers and 12 boards as the Gin Kings chalked up their first win under coach Tim Cone following back-to-back losses to the Star Hotshots and the Barako Bull Energy.

The Aces split their two games in Dubai and were to fly back to Manila with a 3-1 win-loss record.

Trailing by 19 (56-37) at the half and by nine (66-75) at the start of the fourth quarter, the Aces threatened to steal the game as they charged back to grab a 92-91 lead on a jump shot by Vic Manuel with 17 seconds to go.

But Slaughter showed steely nerves in the closing seconds, saving the Kings from a repeat of their harrowing 79-82 loss to the Energy where they blew away a huge first-half lead.

Slaughter, in the process, also preserved his huge productions.

The 2013-14 top rookie has been churning out MVP numbers, so impressive with his whopping averages of 27.3 points and 20.3 rebounds in three games.

“We hung on for dear life,” said Cone after they survived a shaky second half.

“The guys are still not confident with what they’re doing. They have stretches where they play beautifully, but also have stretches where we look really ugly. We had a beautiful first half, but just as ugly in the second half,” Cone pointed out.

“But I think we’ll smooth that out in the coming games. In the meantime, I’ll applaud our guys for finding a way to pull the win out and we’ll on from there. I’m all about moving on,” Cone added.

With LA Tenorio adding 14, Mark Caguioa 11 and Chris Ellis one, the Ginebra starting unit clobbered its Alaska counterpart composed of Cyrus Baguio, Sonny Thoss, Rome dela Rosa, Tony dela Cruz and Jvee Casio, 76-15.

The Alaska bench carried the cudgels for the team with Calvin Abueva making a team-high 23 points while Dondon Hontiveros and Vic Manuel combined for 29 points.

The Gin Kings dealt the Aces severe beating at the paint as Ginebra dominated the boards, 56-38.

Nonetheless, the Aces found a way to battle with their tremendous spirit.

“Alaska is always so good at coming back. Their pressure is relentless and tough to overcome,” said Cone.

The Aces eventually lost the game as Manuel and Casio missed an attempt each in the dying seconds.