By REYNALD MAGALLON
In a bind after a shocking Game 3 loss, Barangay Ginebra head coach Tim Cone added a stabilizing presence in LA Tenorio to start the match.
And it paid dividends.
The veteran playmaker presided over a blistering start for Ginebra and never looked back from there to cruise to a 90-71 victory and tie their best-of-seven semifinals series at 2-2 in the 2024 PBA Philippine Cup at the Mall of Asia Arena on Friday, May 24.
Tenorio only finished with seven points, six assists and four rebounds but his leadership was on full display as the Kings exploded for 31 points in the opening frame to establish a double-digit lead that was never threatened the rest of the way.
With Tenorio manning the point, the ball was visibly moving around more in the triangle which resulted in their big men in Japeth Aguilar and Christian Standhardinger getting equal opportunities inside the paint.
Aguilar led the way in scoring with 21 points while Standhardinger flirted with a triple-double of 15 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists.
With Tenorio on the court, Scottie Thompson was also relieved of some pressure and had the chance to be more assertive on the offensive end to finish with 15 points – including seven straight points to end the third frame and give Ginebra a commanding 24-point lead, 73-49. heading into the payoff period.
With the semis now reduced to a virtual best-of-three affair, Ginebra and Meralco grind it out for the series lead in the critical Game 5 at the Mall of Asia Arena on Sunday.
Chris Banchero and Allein Maliksi tried to carry the fight for Meralco after unloading 14 points apiece but the Bolts just couldn’t get to recover from the flat start when they allowed the Kings to take a 20-7 spread.
Meralco cut the lead down to just 10, 49-39 early in the third frame but that proved to be the closest it could get as Ginebra went on several runs in the second half to even take the largest lead at 27 early in the final frame.
