Ginebra notches record 47th straight PBA quarterfinal appearance Trending Global News

Justin Brownlee points after making a shot in the Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings’ win over the Rain or Shine Elastopenters in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup. -PBA Images

In the eyes of Barangay Ginebra coach Tim Cone, Rain or Shine’s defeat on Wednesday marked the first time his Gin Kings played with precision in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup, which also meant a piece of league history.

“We haven’t played well together in this conference and tonight was one of those games where everyone came together,” Cone said after Antipolo City’s 120–92 win at the Ynares Center, which advanced to the quarterfinals. The place of Jin Kings was also confirmed. For a record 47th consecutive conference.

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Ginebra improved to 7–4 with one game remaining against Meralco at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on January 29, needing a win to at least reach the top six and avoid being in a must-win situation twice.

Led by Justin Brownlee, Scottie Thompson and Troy Rosario, the Kings atoned for a 91-86 loss to TNT Tropang Giga in a rematch of their Governors Cup Final showdown last week, which saw Ginebra slip from second to seventh.

,[This win against Rain or Shine] We had our best game in the conference, and it couldn’t have come at a better time,” Cone said. “It all came together [for us]And hopefully we can continue that.

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“I don’t expect us to play like this all night, but if we stay focused like that, we have a good chance to win the game.”

By never trailing and defeating Rain or Shine, Ginebra not only created complications in the race for a quarterfinal berth, but also seeded the top two and two times-to-beat bonuses and the best-of-the-match given for third through sixth place. Also created three slots. Placer after elimination.

Converge will look to end eliminations with a win and gain a momentary hold on the solo lead when they take on San Miguel Beer on Friday at 7:30 pm in Ynares, Antipolo.

Fiberaxers is currently 8-3 with Northport Batang Pier.

Meralco is tied with visiting team Hong Kong Eastern at 7-3, followed by TNT with a 6-3 record after a crushing 117-108 loss to first-place Terrafirma.

TNT will look to bounce back and formally solidify their spot in the quarters on Friday at 5 PM against Phoenix, which is all but out of playoff contention with Blackwater sitting at 3-8.

desperate barmen

Ginebra remains sixth, while Rain or Shine dropped to seventh at 6-4, with two more to play against NLEX on Saturday and TNT on January 31. San Miguel, meanwhile, is in a three-way tie for eighth place with NLEX and Magnolia. 4-6.

San Miguel is desperate for a win on Friday evening in a contest that features an intriguing matchup between Beermen star Jun Mar Fajardo and FiberXerx rookie Justin Baltazar.

Ginebra has been somewhat up and down in this conference, starting the eliminations with two consecutive wins before going 1–2 in their next three games.

After back-to-back wins over sister teams Magnolia and San Miguel Bear, the trend continued for Ginebra with Blackwater’s 23-point loss to Rome, Northport, before suffering a blowout loss to TNT.