By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
Special Christmas games in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) couldn’t get any better than that.
In another scheduled Manila Clasico matchup on December 25, 2024, the Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings made sure they’ll extend the height of their festivities after pulling off a massive come-from-behind win against the Magnolia Hotshots Chicken Timplados, 95-92, in the ongoing PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
Already looking dead in the water when the Chicken Timplados built their largest lead to 22 points, the trio of Justin Brownlee, RJ Abarrientos, and Scottie Thompson led the Ginebra rally that electrified the thousands in attendance who flocked to the venue just to witness one of the greatest rivalries in the history of the PBA.
Magnolia was locked in after Jerrick Balanza’s solo scoring frenzy pushed their lead to 22, forcing Ginebra’s veteran chief tactician Tim Cone to call a timeout out of desperation.
After that quick timeout, Ginebra began to smell blood. They were down, but they were never out. Their never-say-die mantra once again filled every corner of the Araneta Coliseum as the duo of Brownlee and Abarrientos spearheaded their comeback in the third-minute mark of the third quarter.
Ginebra’s resident reinforcement kicked off the rally, scoring a long three-pointer that revived the hopes of the Gin Kings nation.
Abarrientos later on joined the splash party as the outstanding rookie played like veteran, spraying three consecutive triples that pulled the Gin Kings to within 12 points.
In just a jiffy, Ginebra officially came back into the ball game after Brownlee and Abarrientos took turns frustrating Magnolia with difficult shots from the parking lot.
At the 4:34 mark of the fourth, Brownlee helped Ginebra complete the comeback effort by giving them the lead, off a three-pointer from the left elbow.
Magnolia wouldn’t be denied after matching Ginebra’s intensity with points in the paint, courtesy of Ricardo Ratliffe and Calvin Abueva. Trailing by two points with 27 seconds left, Rome dela Rosa equalized the ball game after converting on a layup assisted by their import.
With the final possession of the ball game swinging back to the Gin Kings, all eyes were on Brownlee and Abarrientos as the duo scored the most points during their comeback rally.
However, it was former Most Valuable Player (MVP) Scottie Thompson who sank the game-winning three-pointer after a beautiful kick-out play from Brownlee.
Brownlee generated the play from the top of the key and milked four seconds out of the clock, before handing it off to Abarrientos.
The rookie drew three defenders after an aggressive drive and located the wide-open Thompson at the left corner.
Thompson put up the shot just in time, and received a loud ovation from the massive Ginebra fan base when the official time clock expired.
Brownlee top-scored Gienbra with 28 big points alongside seven rebounds and five assists while Abarrientos chipped in 20 markers, five dimes, and three steals.
Thompson, who provided the buzzer-beating game-winner, added an all-around performance of 14 points, six assists, and five rebounds.
