Barangay Ginebra San Miguel punched their ticket to another semis appearance with a 112-81 blowout of the Phoenix Fuel Masters on Friday at the Ynares Center in Antipolo. The barangay will be facing the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup semifinals.
What Happened?
Underdog and all, Phoenix acquitted itself well in the opening frame, going toe-to-toe with Ginebra and ending the first just down by one, 30-29. Then, the floodgates opened. Ginebra scored the first nine points of the second, built the game’s first double-digit lead, and ended the half ahead by 20, 64-44.
Ginebra didn’t let up after intermission, clamping down on the Fuel Masters even more in the third to extend the lead, 90-54, after a dominant 26-10 quarter. The barangay then cruised in the fourth to seal the game and make it to the semifinals again.
Who Stood Out?
Justin Brownlee led Ginebra’s breakaway in the middle quarters en route to tallying 24 points on 8-for-14 shooting, on top of 5 rebounds and 5 assists. However, he left sometime in the third after appearing to hurt his hamstring. RJ Abarrientos and Scottie Thompson starred as well, with the league’s leading scorer notching 16 points on 5-for-7 shooting. Thompson, the 2020 MVP, recorded a near triple-double of 16 points, 9 rebounds, and 9 assists while missing only two shots.
Ricci Rivero, on the other hand, was the lone bright spot for Phoenix, finishing with 15 points but on a less-than-stellar 7-for-16 clip. He also had 8 rebounds.
3 Keys to the Game
- Defense. Ginebra’s defense was unforgiving in this one as the Gin Kings swarmed the Fuel Masters pretty much all game long. This defense limited Phoenix to 35.8% shooting overall, taking away easy looks time and time again. It was particularly on point in the middle quarters, where Ginebra held the Fuel Masters to 25 combined.
- Red-hot shooting. The crowd darlings have been shooting well this conference, and they were particularly blistering on Friday. In all, Ginebra made 42 of their 72 attempts for a 58.3% clip. The three-ball was falling as well, with the Gin Kings going 13-for-25 from deep.
- Championship pedigree. For all the statistical battles and numbers, the biggest difference on Friday night was championship pedigree. Ginebra had it, and Phoenix didn’t. Once Brownlee and company turned it up, the Fuel Masters simply didn’t have an answer.
Next Up for the PBA
Saturday, May 16, 2026 | Ynares Center Antipolo
Magnolia Hotshots vs. Meralco Bolts (5:15 p.m.)
TNT Tropang 5G vs. NLEX Road Warriors (7:30 p.m.)
