MANILA — The Barangay Ginebra Kings whipped up a storm in the fourth quarter to score a come-from-behind victory over the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, 81-74, for their first win in the 2017 PBA Philippine Cup on Sunday night. Japeth Aguilar posted team-highs of 23 points on 9-of-13 shooting and 13 rebounds as the Kings dealt the Painters their first loss in the conference after winning their first two matches. Joe Devance added 13 points and eight boards. The Kings used a stifling defense in the endgame resulting in an 11-0 run to overhaul the Painters' fourth quarter lead and surge to victory. The reigning Governors' Cup champions won despite atrocious shooting from the outside, failing to score a single three-pointer out of 14 attempts, and a forgettable performance by LA Tenorio who was held to just four points after missing all his six shots in 33 minutes. However, Ginebra's starting point guard compensated for his poor shooting with six assists and four rebounds. Raymond Almazan led Rain or Shine with 13 points and 15 boards, while James Yap added 10 markers in 17 minutes off the bench. Phoenix 114, Mahindra 104 The Phoenix Fuel Masters had little trouble disposing of the woeful Mahindra Floodbuster, 114-104, to register its second straight win after losing their season opener. Following their stunning victory over defending champions San Miguel Beermen Wednesday, the Fuel Masters kept the fire burning while sending the Floodbuster to their third straight lopsided loss. Mahindra lost its first three games by an average margin of 18 points. Phoenix led by as many as 30 points, 105-75, before Mahindra launched a scorching 27-6 run that cut down the Fuel Masters' lead to nine, 111-102, with 46.3 seconds remaining. The lead was still enough though to prevent a monumental Phoenix collapse. JC Intal again led the Fuel Masters, scoring a game-high 24 points on top of seven rebounds, four assists, and two blocks. Rookie Matthew Wright added 21 points, 15 of them scored on three-pointers. Alex Mallari once again led Mahindra with 19 points while rookie Philip Paniamogan chipped in 15. Games Wednesday: Alaska Aces (0-2) vs. GlobalPort Batang Pier (2-0) and Star Hotshots (0-2) vs. NLEX Road Warriors (1-1).
