Barangay Ginebra returned to its winning ways as it took care of business following an 83-77 win over Rain or Shine in the 2021 PBA Philippine Cup Wednesday at DHVSU Gym in Bacolor, Pampanga.
The Gin Kings recovered from their shock 95-90 loss to Terrafirma on Friday and got to .500 territory with a 3-3 record.
Tied at 45 midway through the third, the Gin Kings went on a 12-5 run to take a 57-50 lead after Prince Caperal’s jumper late in the quarter.
That seven-point cushion eventually became Ginebra’s foundation as the Elasto Painters never regained the lead.
Beau Belga pulled Rain or Shine within one, 75-74, with 2:38 to play in the fourth but Ginebra responded with a quick 7-0 spurt capped by a Scottie Thompson triple for an 82-74 advantage with only 27 seconds remaining.
“This is really the first time this conference that I felt like, you know, we played the game and in the tempo that we want to play it,” said Ginebra head coach Tim Cone. “We knew we had to play some really good defense and really win the hustle charts.”
Ginebra limited the Elasto Painters to 25-of-71 from the field but it was in the paint where the Gin Kings did the damage defensively holding Rain or Shine to just 20 points, on 10-of-21 shooting, inside the restricted area.
Christian Standhardinger led Ginebra’s offense with 16 points with six rebounds and five assists while Japeth Aguilar finished with 15 points, 11 rebounds, and two blocks.
Aguilar also moved to 11th place in the league’s all-time blocks list with 628 supplanting Billy Robinson.
Rey Nambatac finished with a game-high 18 points but it wasn’t enough as Rain or Shine dropped to 4-4.