Games Wednesday (Smart Araneta Coliseum)
4:30 p.m. – Phoenix Pulse vs NorthPort
7 p.m. – Magnolia vs San Miguel
Stanley Pringle impressed defending champion Barangay Ginebra San Miguel and its fans in his debut during Sunday’s 100-85 win over NLEX in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the Batangas City Coliseum.
Pringle, acquired from NorthPort in a trade last Tuesday, finished with 16 points, eight rebounds, three assists and two steals as Ginebra won its second game in a row for fifth place in the standings at 4-3.
Other than the production, coach Tim Cone was pleased with how Pringle meshed well with Justin Brownlee, who produced 37 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and five steals.
One play during the third quarter saw Brownlee making a quick pass to Pringle for an easy layup that gave Ginebra a 64-47 lead with 7:20 remaining in the third quarter.
“Stanley and Justin were just playing off of each other and that was not anything planned. It just happened,” said Cone, who expects to see the combination more often.
NLEX dropped to a league-worst 1-7 record despite 20 points from Poy Erram and 17 points and eight rebounds from import Tony Mitchell.
Ginebra won amid humid conditions that almost forced PBA Commissioner Willie Marcial to stop the game due to the slippery floor.
Earlier, Rey Nambatac scored a layup with 2.6 seconds left in overtime to give Rain or Shine an 88-86 victory over Columbian. (Jonas Terrado)
