BARANGAY Ginebra tries to bounce back from an ego-deflating loss last week when the Gin Kings collide with the NLEX Road Warriors in the main game of the PBA Season 49 Governors’ Cup on Tuesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Gin Kings suffered a humiliating 95-88 loss at the hands of the Blackwater Bossing last week as the league’s most popular squad dropped to 1-2 in the Group B Standings.
Ginebra now faces an NLEX (2-1) side that is coming off a hard-earned 112-108 overtime victory against powerhouse San Miguel Beer in Cagayan de Oro City.
Game time is at 7:30 p.m.
In the opening game at 5 p.m., Blackwater (1-3) eyes its second straight win in its 5 p.m. match versus winless Phoenix (0-3).
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Ginebra is still in the adjustment phase since trading veterans Christian Standhardinger and Stanley Pringle to Terrafirma in exchange for Season 48 Rookie of the Year Stephen Holt and Isaac Go. That trade also saw both squad swap draft picks with Ginebra managing to select RJ Abarrientos at no. 3 overall last July.
The Gin Kings are still adjusting with their new recruits, while wingman Jamie Malonzo and Jeremiah Gray are still out of commission as they recover from injuries.
Justin Brownlee has been doing everything for Ginebra in an effort to lift the team up from this early season transition.
Season 46 PBA MVP Scottie Thompson is still trying to get his groove back as he continues to recover from a back injury. The do-it-all Ginebra guard is averaging 9.5 points, 8.0 rebounds and 5.2 assists.
Japeth Aguilar and Maverick Ahanmisi, the Gin Kings’ two other veterans, will have to press on and step up further against the Road Warriors, who will have import Myke Henry, Robert Bolick and hard-banging big man Mike Miranda leading the way.
Meanwhile, the Bossing will try to build on their confidence-boosting win against the Gin Kings as they face the Fuel Masters, who will have former Indonesia Basketball League high-scoring Brandone Francis as their import.
George King had a solid PBA debut for Blackwater, firing 33 points, 19 rebounds and four assists in leading the Bossing past the Gin Kings, snapping their nine-game losing skid to the PBA’s most popular team in the process.
Blackwater will face a Phoenix side that will benefit from Francis’ high-scoring ways, having led the IBL in scoring during the 2023 season.
That same season, Francis helped Prawira Bandung win the IBL championship, while being named the Foreign Player of the Year.
