San Miguel sends Brgy. Ginebra to 4th straight loss

Orlando Johnson played true to form in just his second game back in the PBA as San Miguel overpowered Brgy. Ginebra, 110-102, Sunday night in the 2021 Governors’ Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.

The 32-year old Johnson, who suited up for the Gin Kings during the same conference seven years ago, bounced back from a forgettable performance against TNT and nearly had a triple-double with 31 points, 10 rebounds and 8 assists plus a steal in 41 minutes of action. He shot a lot better from the field, making 12 out of 19 attempts for 63% compared to 13% (3/22) against the Tropang Giga last Wednesday.

The Beermen improved to 4-3 while the Gin Kings absorbed their 4th straight setback and dropped to 3-4.

“Before the the start, I told them team na this is a very important game for us, because of the standing. This is huge for us, because we know na we’re up against very competitive teams in our next games,” said SMB coach Leo Austria during the post-game presser.

“I’m happy to see him (Johnson) now, playing to the expectation we’re looking for from him. Nag-take charge siya,” he added.

CJ Perez backstopped Johnson with 23 points to go with a game-high 5 steals, 2 boards and 2 assists. June Mar Fajardo and Marcio Lassiter added 13 markers apiece while Terrence Romeo and Vic Manuel chipped in 9 and 8 points, respectively.

Justin Brownlee paced the Gin Kings with 40 points while Japeth Aguilar and Arvin Tolentino had 14 points each.

The Beermen’s next game is on Wednesday, February 23 against the Phoenix Super LPG Fuel Masters at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.

The scores:

San Miguel 110 – Johnson 31, Perez 23, Fajardo 13, Lassiter 13, Romeo 9, Manuel 8, Tautuaa 7, Ross 6, Brondial 0.

Barangay Ginebra 102 – Brownlee 40, Tolentino 14, J. Aguilar 14, Tenorio 13, Standhardinger 8, Thompson 7, Pinto 6, Caperal 0.

Quarterscores: 20-24, 48-46, 86-73, 110-102.

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