A pivotal 3-1 lead for TNT or Barangay Ginebra sending the series back to scratch.
The PBA Governors' Cup finale is in its critical stage, and the protagonists are expected to go harder at each other as they duke it out in Game Four Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Game time is at 7:30 p.m. with the Tropang Giga taking a second shot at win No. 3.
Otherwise, coach Chot Reyes and his troops will see themselves starting all over again and facing a more spirited Ginebra side in the series windup.
Justin Brownlee and his teammates have gotten over the hump and will set out for Game Four riding the crest of an 85-73 triumph in an All Saints Day dispute at the Big Dome.
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The Kings turned the tables on the Tropang Giga Friday with a little shuffle of their cards and in giving TNT a dose of its own medicine, winning a defensive battle.
"We certainly played a lot better, especially on defense," said Ginebra coach Tim Cone, whose team limited the Tropang Giga to 32.6 percent shooting (28 of 86) while firing at an improved rate of 50 percent (33 of 66).
Main anchor of that was Brownlee, who continued to struggle offensively but led the defensive efforts, making key stops and a key bucket in Ginebra's telling 14-6 closer.
Brownlee finished with only 18 markers but added 13 rebounds, four assists, four blocks and one steal.
"Justin struggled offensively, especially against an elite defender in Rondae Hollis-Jefferson but he's not quitting defensively," Cone said of Brownlee.
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No quit either was RHJ who produced 24 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists in a losing cause.
Cone hopes they get going from here.
"I think coming from the San Miguel series (in the semis) we're a little bit worn and not as focused as we should be. The two games kind of woke us up so hopefully this gets us going in the series," he said.
But there would be a determined TNT side out to bounce back from a loss.
And the Tropang Giga have been good at it. In four previous losses in the tourney, the Tropa rebounded big time in their succeeding assignments.(SB)
