Brownlee’s Late Heroics Lift Gin Kings Past Tropang 5G in Game 1 Thriller

Ginebra seized the early advantage in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Season 50 Commissioner's Cup Finals, edging TNT 102-100 in a heart-stopping Game 1 at SMART Araneta Coliseum on Wednesday night.

The Kings erased an 18-point third-quarter deficit to set up a nail-biting finish, with Justin Brownlee delivering once again in the clutch. The three-time Best Import nailed a pull-up jumper over Chris McCullough with just 0.6 seconds left, completing Ginebra’s comeback and securing the win after TNT’s final alley-oop attempt failed as time expired.

Brownlee led the way with 23 points, four rebounds, and eight assists, anchoring the Kings when it mattered most.

“It was a play we’ve run many times before for Justin,” said Ginebra head coach Tim Cone. “That’s the same play we ran for ‘The Shot’ against Meralco in our first championship back in 2016.”

RJ Abarrientos also contributed 23 points, including two clutch four-point plays in the final moments that swung momentum back to Ginebra. “He did a great job reading their defense down the stretch. He’s a clutch player—those two four-pointers were amazing,” Cone added.

Scottie Thompson finished with 15 points, five rebounds, and six assists, while Troy Rosario, Japeth Aguilar, Ralph Cu, and Jeremiah Gray provided additional scoring support to round out a balanced Ginebra attack.

TNT was powered by Chris McCullough, who tallied 25 points, 14 rebounds, and four assists but was held scoreless in the fourth quarter despite leading the Tropang 5G’s third-quarter surge. Roger Pogoy added 22 points, and Rey Nambatac chipped in 19 as TNT mounted a late push. Calvin Oftana and Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser also contributed 12 points apiece, keeping the contest tense until the final buzzer.

The dramatic ending came when TNT’s alley-oop attempt from Oftana to Jordan Heading was blocked by Brownlee as time expired, giving Ginebra a thrilling Game 1 victory and a 1-0 series lead in the Finals.