BARANGAY Ginebra sustained its murderous pace versus elims topnotcher and now floundering NorthPort, fashioning out yet another lopsided win to move on the doorstep of the PBA Season 49 Commissioner's Cup Finals Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Ruthless and relentless, the Kings battered and crushed the Batang Pier, 127-100, to zoom to a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.
With Rain or Shine pulling one over TNT, 103-98, in the other semis last dance, Ginebra has a shot at getting the first berth in the championship series.
The Kings take their first of three cracks at the finals in Game Four Wednesday also at the Big Dome.
For NorthPort, things turned from bad to worse to worst in the first three games versus the rock-solid Gin Kings.
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After letting his teammates do the scoring the last time, Justin Brownlee reassumed the role of the assassin, leading Ginebra's early breakaway in Game Three with 17 points in the first half.
Brownlee was 4-of-4 from beyond the arc while Jamie Malonzo tossed in 3-of-3 to highlight his 16-point output as the Kings broke clear early enroute to taking a 64-40 cushion at the half.
And the Kings kept their lockdown effort on Arvin Tolentino on the defensive end, leaving NorthPort without a solid secondary offensive option after Kadeem Jack.
Efficient on both ends, the Kings opened with a 30-21 tear followed up by a 34-19 exchange, thus, carrying a 24-point lead over into the final half.
As they roared on in the second half, the Kings led by over 30 points in each of the first three games of the series, trumping NorthPort which is now a shade of the team that was beaten just thrice from the elims to the quarterfinals.
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With a 99-68 bubble after the third, coach Tim Cone once again had the luxury of giving his core rotation early breather.
Malonzo finished with a team-high 25 marked by five treys as Brownlee ended up with 22, Japeth Aguilar added 17, Scottie Thompson 15 and Troy Rosario and RJ Abarrientos 10 each.
Jack put in 32 for NorthPort. (SB)
The scores:
Ginebra 127 - Malonzo 25, Brownlee 22, J. Aguilar 17, Thompson 15, Rosario 10, Abarrientos 10, Ahanmisi 6, Holt 5, Pessumal 4, Gray 4, R. Aguilar 3, Adamos 2, Mariano 2, Tenorio 2, Cu 0, Pinto 0.
NorthPort 100 - Jack 32, Tolentino 15, Taha 11, Yu 6, Miranda 6, Bulanadi 6, Munzon 5, Cuntapay 5, Flores 4, Nelle 3, Navarro 3, Tratter 2, Onwubere 2.
Quarterscores: 30-21, 64-40, 99-68, 127-100
