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Justin Brownlee dazzled anew and top seed Barangay Ginebra eliminated TNT with a 112-93 rout to end the elimination round of the 2018 PBA Governors’ Cup on Sunday night at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Brownlee had 31 points, 16 rebounds and 11 assists for the Gin Kings, who will face the eighth-seeded NLEX Road Warriors in the quarterfinals beginning Tuesday also at the Big Dome
“We wanna make sure we’re going into the playoffs in full speed. That was the goal today,” said Ginebra head coach Tim Cone, whose squad finished with a 9-2 card.
“We want to be prepared going into the playoffs and make sure there’s no slippage and we played a lot better than we thought we would.”
Greg Slaughter also gave the KaTropa fits with 25 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the field and 13-of-15 from the free throw line in 26 minutes.
Earlier, Phoenix’s prolific import Eugene Phelps got a lot of help from the local crew as the Fuel Masters fended off the Blackwater Elite, 97-91, to clinch the No. 2 spot.
Calvin Abueva was all over the floor and finished with a game-high 25 points that went with eight rebounds and a steal in just less than 22 minutes of action.
In the fourth quarter alone, Abueva and Matthew Wright scored 10 points each.
“I told them during the halftime break that you have to take pride with your defense,” Phoenix coach Louie Alas said. “It was all about the defense.”
The Fuel Masters, who will own a twice-to-beat advantage against the Meralco Bolts in their quarterfinals on Wednesday at Cuneta Astrodome, made crucial stops and big shots late courtesy of Abueva and Wright.
The fifth-seeded Elite will play the Magnolia Hotshots, who will have the twice-to-beat, also this Tuesday.