Here are the players who made the biggest impact on June 7 and the stats to prove it.
TOP PERFORMERS OF THE GAME:
Justin Brownlee GIN SF 41 PTS | 7 REB | 7 AST | 67.9 FPS
Offensively, Brownlee was just on a different level. Throughout the game, he was highly consistent, scoring at least seven points in every quarter, and he finished with superb efficiency, converting 14-of-19 from two and a perfect 6-for-6 from the line. He was equally impressive in the secondary categories and also committed just one turnover.
Christopher Albert McCullough TNT C 44 PTS | 13 REB | 3 BLK | 67.6 FPS
With TNT falling behind early, McCullough took matters into his own hands, erupting for 21 second-quarter points. He stayed on the attack, putting up 12 points in the third quarter and adding 9 more in the fourth to establish a new conference scoring high. It wasn’t enough for the win, but this performance should give him a strong momentum going forward.
Earl Scottie Thompson GIN SF 17 PTS | 11 REB | 11 AST | 47.7 FPS
Following his underwhelming performance in Game 2, Thompson responded in a major way today. Though he was off from the field, he made up for it by shooting a perfect 8-for-8 from the line to record his eighth 15-point outing in ten games in the playoffs. Elsewhere, he was even more impressive, posting a playoff-high in rebounds and a conference-best in assists for his first triple-double of the tournament.
Rhon Jay Abarrientos GIN PG 15 PTS | 6 AST | 3 STL | 38.0 FPS
Despite struggling offensively for much of the game, Abarrientos came alive when it mattered most, hitting a three-pointer and a four-point shot in the fourth quarter to help keep TNT at bay. Given how well he’s played all conference, TNT should be prepared for a bigger performance from him in Game 4.
Roger Ray Pogoy TNT SF 28 PTS | 7 3PM | 3 REB | 37.6 FPS
Pogoy struggled to get going in the early quarters, but he completely flipped the script in the second half. He exploded for 20 big points to help his team get back into the game while also setting new conference highs in both scoring and three-pointers.
Stephen Jeffrey Holt GIN SG 23 PTS | 4 REB | 2 STL | 36.8 FPS
For most of the conference, Holt has struggled offensively, and that was even more evident in the first two games of the Finals, where he failed to make a basket, going 0-for-5 from the field. Today, however, he finally broke through, hitting three three-pointers in the first quarter and finishing as Ginebra’s leading scorer at the break with 18 points. Although he wasn’t as effective in the second half, this performance was a big positive nonetheless.
Jordan Timothy Heading TNT SG 11 PTS | 5 AST | 3 TO | 17.9 FPS
Though Heading wasn’t at his best offensively today, he still found ways to be impactful, knocking down two triples while also leading the team in assists. Nevertheless, this level of production is simply not enough for one of TNT’s top players. If they’re going to win this series, Heading has to be a far bigger threat on the scoring end.
Japeth Paul Aguilar GIN C 11 PTS | 6 REB | 1 TO | 17.2 FPS
Though he finished scoreless in Game 2, Aguilar turned things around today, converting 5-of-7 from two-point area. While his production has been relatively limited in this series, he has been efficient, shooting 8-for-10 from two overall. That said, Ginebra should find a way to get him more involved in the games ahead.
Calvin John Oftana TNT SG 5 REB | 3 AST | 1 BLK | 16.5 FPS
This was the exact opposite of his performance in Game 2. After recording his fifth 20-point outing of the conference, he has completely gone cold today, going scoreless in the first half and finishing 1-for-8 to match his worst scoring game of the tournament.
Brandon Arnell Ganuelas-Rosser TNT C 9 PTS | 2 REB | 1 BLK | 14.4 FPS
So far in this series, BGR has been effective offensively, scoring at least nine points for the third straight outing. Still, foul trouble continues to be a huge downside to his game. In two games last week, he averaged seven rebounds while committing just one foul in each contest. In his last two games, however, those numbers flipped as he averaged 4.5 fouls and managed just two rebounds per game.
Jeth Troy Rosario GIN PF 9 PTS | 4 REB | 1 AST | 14.3 FPS
It certainly wasn’t his best performance, but Rosario still made a large impact in Game 3. He was the only reserve player for Ginebra to score, hitting 3-of-8 from two-point range while also adding a three-pointer.
Jayson Castro TNT PG 2 PTS | 4 AST | 1 STL | 10.0 FPS
The TNT guard has been relatively quiet through the first three games of this series. Nonetheless, he has continued to be a positive presence whenever he’s on the floor, which will be vital for the team as the series moves forward.
Henry Galinato Jr. TNT C 4 REB | 1 BLK | 7.8 FPS
Galinato was sidelined for the first two games of the series, but he returned to the rotation in Game 3. Despite playing limited minutes, he has provided plenty of positives, especially on the defensive end, something that the team could continue to benefit going forward.
BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT OF THE GAME:
Rey Benedict Nambatac TNT PG 0 PTS | 5 REB | 3 AST | 10.5 FPS
Offensively, Nambatac has been a major factor for TNT in this series, averaging 14.5 points in the first two games. However, he failed to carry that momentum into Game 3, finishing scoreless on 0-for-5 shooting. While this inconsistency has been an issue for him all conference, he’s still undeniably capable of turning things around at any moment.
