Barangay Ginebra San Miguel bounced back from their Game 2 loss with a 116-102 victory in Game 3 of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals on Sunday in front of an 18,000-strong crowd at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
What Happened?
Game 3 was a lot like Game 2, only it was the other way around. This time it was Ginebra that roared out of the gates, led by a blazing-hot Stephen Holt, who torched the nets for 15 first-quarter points to lead the Gin Kings to a 35-16 lead after one. The barangay continued to wax hot in the second, although a late 5-0 spurt allowed the Tropa to cut the deficit to 59-42 entering halftime.
TNT scored 26 more in the third canto but still couldn’t make headway as Justin Brownlee and company fired 26 of their own to head to the fourth quarter still ahead by 17 points, 85-68. In fact, only a troika of triples from RR Pogoy kept the Tropa within sight of Ginebra after three. Pogoy’s barrage from distance turned out to be an omen of things to come as the Tropa began chipping away at that lead. TNT even got as close as 96-89 at the 5:56 mark on a Chris McCullough three-point play, only for RJ Abarrientos to hit a desperation four-pointer the very next play to restore some order.
That big shot doused cold water on the Tropa’s fiery rally, with Abarrientos himself hitting a dagger trey a couple of minutes later to seal the Game 3 win.
Who Stood Out?
Holt started the initial onslaught that set the tone for Ginebra, firing 15 points in the opening 12 minutes and 17 in the first half. He wound up with 23 markers on 5-for-8 shooting from distance. Brownlee, meanwhile, provided sustained excellence for the barangay, going off for 41 points on top of 7 rebounds and 7 assists, while also making some big shots in the final frame. Scottie Thompson also showed out, finishing with a triple-double of 17 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists.
For TNT, McCullough and Pogoy carried the fight, with CMac firing a conference-high 44 points to go along with 13 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 blocks. Pogoy rifled in 28 on 7-for-12 shooting from downtown, including four straight bridging the third and fourth quarters.
3 Keys to the Game
- Hot start. As was the case in Games 1 and 2, a hot start propelled the victors in Game 3. It was Ginebra in this case, with Holt leading that 35-16 first quarter that set the tone. It turns out, Ginebra needed almost all of that early cushion as the Tropa launched a fourth-quarter rally.
- Turnover points. TNT’s 13 turnovers weren’t too many, but Ginebra turned them into 20 extra points. The Tropa, on the other hand, only scored 9 points off of 10 barangay turnovers.
- Justin Brownlee. Abarrientos’s seven-point cluster late in the fourth may have sealed the deal, but Brownlee’s 13 points in the final canto were just as crucial. In fact, with TNT on the comeback trail, JB time and again snapped the momentum with an answer on the offensive end.
Next Up for the PBA
Wednesday, June 10, 2026 | Smart Araneta Coliseum
Barangay Ginebra San Miguel vs. TNT Tropang 5G (7:30 p.m.)
