JB saves Kings in Dasma tiff

MANILA, Philippines — Justin Brownlee time and again came through with clutch plays as Barangay Ginebra repulsed San Miguel Beer, 99-94, to take the 2-1 lead in their PBA Governors’ Cup semifinals face-off yesterday at the Dasmariñas City Arena in Cavite.

The Gilas Pilipinas naturalized player and resident Ginebra import uncorked 30 points, nine rebounds, five assists and five blocks, most of which against Beermen counterpart EJ Anosike, as he lit it up for the Gin Kings before their Caviteño fans.

Then there’s his dagger layup with 20.7 seconds to go, sealing the deal as the Kings regained the upper hand in the race-to-four series.

“We had some uncertain moments in the third quarter, but thanks to this guy we got that covered. Thanks to this guy again, down the stretch, we’re able to win it. So thanks to this guy and thanks to this guy. That’s the story of the game,” said coach Tim Cone, heaping praises to his trusted reinforcement since 2016.

Brownlee and his teammates try to tighten the nooze on the Beermen as they play in Game 4 back at the Smart Araneta Coliseum Wednesday.

From a tough 131-125 overtime loss in Game 2, Brownlee’s might and brilliance served as the stabilizer for the Gin Kings.

Brownlee himself ignited a key 10-0 run as the Kings seized an 81-72 lead early in the payoff period, then used that buffer to hold off repeated SMB rallies.

More importantly, Brownlee’s excellence rubbed off on grizzled slotman Japeth Aguilar who came through with 22 points, eight boards, and three dimes, and Stephen Holt who had his own all-around game with 11 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists.

Scottie Thompson collared crucial rebounds late, including five off the offensive board to help the crowd favorites earn the edge in this best-of-seven series.

San Miguel leaned on Anosike’s 32 points and 10 rebounds as it kept things interesting. There’s a Marcio Lassiter four-point shot that narrowed the gap to three, 97-94, in the last 16 seconds.

But Maverick Ahanmisi locked the victory for Ginebra as he went perfect from the line with 12.2 seconds left to complete his double-double of 15 points and 11 rebounds plus two assists.

Meanwhile, Aaron Fuller completed a three-point play with 3.8 seconds to play as Rain or Shine avoided a 0-3 hole versus TNT with a 110-109 squeaker.

Fuller bounced back strong from his 13-point game the last time out, coming through with 26 markers and 16 rebounds this time.