PBA: Eastern stops Gin Kings, gets slim win
Hong Kong Eastern overcame the fierce defense and offense of Barangay Ginebra to claim a narrow victory in the PBA Season 49 Commissioner's Cup on Sunday night, December 15, at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City, 93-90.
Hayden Blankley's clutch free throws helped them escape defeat and secure a narrow victory.
Blankley led Eastern with 25 points, while Christopher McLaughlin had a whopping 20 points, 21 rebounds, six assists and two blocks.
Before the end of the fourth quarter, Blankley also saved the team with a layup to make it 91-86, but the Gin Kings quickly responded with four free throws to make it 91-90 with four seconds left.
With the win, Eastern now has a 5-1 win-loss record.
According to Hong Kong Eastern head coach, Mensur Bajramovic, it was a big deal for them to get the win against Ginebra and they were happy with the result of their game because they trusted in their plan prepared for the Gin Kings.
“We made a plan knowing that Ginebra is a good team. They have individual players and they have a good style offensively and defensively. We tried in the past few days to make a plan on how to play against them. I’m happy the players believed and trust in the plan,” said coach Bajramovic.
For the Gin Kings, Japeth Aguilar led Ginebra with 26 points on a solid 9-of-13 clip, but he limped back to the bench before the final buzzer, while Justin Brownlee was held back, making just six of his 23 field goals for 18 points and 12 rebounds.
On Friday, December 20, Eastern will try to snap Northport's four-straight win streak, while Barangay Ginebra will travel to the Batangas City Coliseum to take on the Converge FiberXers on Saturday, December 21.
The scores:
Eastern 93 - Blankley 25, McLaughlin 20, Cao 14, Yang 11, Lam 8, Chan 6, Guinchard 5, Leung 3, Xu 1, Zhu 0.
Barangay Ginebra 90 - J. Aguilar 26, Brownlee 18, Holt 14, Abarrientos 12, Rosario 12, Thompson 8, Cu 0, Adamos 0, Ahanmisi 0.
Quarter Scores: 26-25, 54-44, 73-67, 93-90.
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