Christian Standhardinger worked his way towards another fine outing for Ginebra on PBA Wednesday.
Ginebra puts in big fourth quarter performance
Barangay Ginebra came back in the payoff period to beat rivals Meralco Bolts, 112-107, in the 2022-23 PBA Governors’ Cup. Christian Standhardinger paced the Gin Kings with another all-around outing of 31 points, 10 rebounds, and 7 assists, while import Justin Brownlee chipped in 29 markers, including a 5-of-9 clip from three.
Behind timely threes from Jeremiah Gray and an offense that clicked on all fronts, Ginebra rallied back in the fourth quarter to deal Meralco their fourth loss in nine games. Meanwhile, Ginebra climbs to the third spot in the standings with a 5-2 record.
Main Takeaways
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After only averaging 10.5 points during the Commissioner's Cup, Christian Standhardinger has doubled his scoring this Governors' Cup (21.6 points on 63% FG). Standhardinger worked his way against the Bolts' defense on Wednesday, grabbing offensive boards all over the place and just creating havoc in the paint.
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Along with Jeremiah Gray, Nard Pinto continues his consistent shooting from beyond the arc. Prior to the Meralco game, Pinto averaged a scintillating 54.5% clip from three (3.7 3PA). On Wednesday, Pinto's shooting was again on-point, hitting three of his five three-point attempts.
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He is not putting up massive numbers, but Aaron Black has been a beacon of consistency for Meralco. Even with Chris Newsome now playing, Black is still putting up 12.8 points (51.2% True Shooting) and 4.1 assists on only 1.3 turnovers.
Phoenix continues upward trend
The Phoenix Super LPG continues their upward trend with a 114-106 victory over the import-less Rain or Shine Elasto Painters. RR Garcia and Encho Serrano led the Fuel Masters in the scoring column with 17 points apiece, while import Du’Vaughn Maxwell turned in a massive stat line of 15 points, 14 rebounds, 4 assists, 5 steals, and 5 blocks.
Phoenix extends their winning streak to three, climbing to the 8th spot in the standings with a 4-5 record. On the other hand, Rain or Shine drops to a disappointing 2-7 slate.
Main Takeaways
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Guard play has been a bright spot for Phoenix in their current three-game winning streak. Encho Serrano has been a sparkplug off the bench, RR Garcia has scored in double digits in two of the last three contests, and Tyler Tio is steadily getting back to his more impactful form.
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Along with their import woes and offensive issues, Rain or Shine's defense continues to disappoint. They're still at the bottom half of the league in defensive rating (114.9), and they let Phoenix make literally half of their shots (50% FG) on Wednesday.
