TNT capitalizes on Brownlee absence, moves on cusp of besting Ginebra with 3-2 lead

Game Friday (Smart Araneta Coliseum)

5:45 p.m. – TNT vs Ginebra
*TNT leads series, 3-2

MANILA, Philippines – Quick to pounce on Barangay Ginebra’s health issues, TNT ripped the trend of the seesaw finals to inch closer to a breakthrough PBA Governors’ Cup diadem.

The Tropang Giga unleashed a strong second half to make it back-to-back against a Ginebra team forced to finish Game 5 without the ailing Justin Brownlee, 104-95, and take a pivotal 3-2 lead in the race-to-four dispute.

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, having a field day with Brownlee sidelined by bum stomach in the final push, delivered a monstrous 32-16-10 triple-double to spearhead TNT to a followup to its 116-104 Game 4 victory. It was the first time a team won twice in a row after the protagonists alternated victories in the first four.

Hollis-Jefferson had lots of local help.

Calvin Oftana, taking over for the injured RR Pogoy (fractured finger), netted 20 with eight boards while Mikey Williams shot 15, Poy Erram, Glenn Khobuntin and Jayson Castro produced 10 apiece as TNT took its first odd-numbered game of the finale.

Momentum on their side, Jojo Lastimosa’s troops seek to ice it tomorrow in Game 6.

Christian Standhardinger, with 29-13, paced Ginebra, which is facing a 2-3 finals deficit for the first time under coach Tim Cone.

Brownlee battled through the effects of food poisoning all day but couldn’t take it anymore and had to be taken out of the floor at the 7:19 mark of the third quarter. Chilling and vomiting on the bench, he was escorted back to the dugout amid worried looks from the Ginebra supporters from among the 10,070 Wednesday crowd.

The three-time Best Import saw action from an abbreviated 25 minutes and 24 seconds and finished with 14 points and four rebounds.

Brownlee shot all his points in the first half and joined forces with Standhardinger in leading the crowd favorites to sizeable leads that reach a high of 15, 59-34.

“The message at halftime was they actually outplayed us in the first half. If we’re to get back in the game we need to have a little bit more effort than that,” said Lastimosa.

Message heard loud and clear, Hollis-Jefferson and Co. outplayed the Gin Kings after restart, 55-34, to break away to victory.

"In the third, we started to defend better," said Lastimosa.

It also helped that Ginebra played all-Filipino in the crucial stages.

“Not having Brownlee there, of course, we have to take advantage of that,” said Lastimosa. "I hope he's okay."

The scores:

TNT 104 – Hollis-Jefferson 32, Oftana 20, M. Williams 15, Khobuntin 10, Castro 10, Erram 10, K. Williams 5, Montalbo 2, Marcelo 0

GINEBRA 95 – Standhardinger 29, Pinto 18, Brownlee 14, Thompson 12, Gray 10, Malonzo 6, Pringle 6, J.Aguilar 0, Mariano 0.

Quartterscores: 28-26, 49-61, 81-79, 104-95.