Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings’ RJ Abarrientos during a PBA Commissioner’s Cup game against Phoenix Fuel Masters. –PBA IMAGES
MANILA, Philippines—Ginebra improved to 2-0 in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup thanks to the Gin Kings’ combined efforts from the second unit led by RJ Abarrientos.
The Gin Kings defeated Phoenix, 94-72, surprisingly with the bench powered by Abarrientos headlining the win and not the starters.
“We have a new weapon in Troy Rosario so I don’t need to score much. I just need to set the tone for our second group. That’s what I need to maximize to be a better player in our next games,” said Abarrientos at Ninoy Aquino Stadium on Friday.
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“Basing on our games in the last conference, our coaches told us that we had a roller coaster of a season, going up and going down so now we have to stick together as a team.”
Abarrientos played his sixth man role to perfection as he finished with an all-around game of 12 points, six assists and five rebounds in just 23 minutes of action.
The rookie out of Far Eastern University also played perfectly beside starting point guard Scottie Thompson, who tallied 17 points, six rebounds and two steals.
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But the biggest beneficiary of Abarrientos’ outing was import Justin Brownlee, who only played for 32 minutes, scattering just 10 points, seven rebounds and seven assists.
“I feel like RJ led the second group in extending the lead and blowing the game out so we can spend time resting Justin and not having him play heavy minutes,” said coach Tim Cone.
“That’s one of our goals this elimination, not overplay Justin and keep him fresh for the playoffs,” added the coach.
Up next for the Gin Kings is guest team Eastern (4-1) on Sunday at Ynares Sports Center in Antipolo.