MANILA The Barangay Ginebra Kings roared to a hot start and then kept their poise in the endgame to beat the San Miguel Beermen, 107-99, in their PBA Commissioner's Cup Sunday night thriller. Bouncing back from a sorry loss to Rain or Shine on Friday, the Kings led from start to finish en route to their sixth win in eight games, formalizing their entry into the playoffs and keeping their hopes alive of snaring a Top 2 finish with the twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals. The Beermen suffered a second loss in eight games. Both SMB and Ginebra are now just half a game behind frontrunners Meralco (7-2) and Star (7-2). These four teams plus TNT KaTropa (7-3) are now in a furious battle for the Top 2 placings with just a few games left in the elimination round. Super import Justin Brownlee was again the big difference in the game as he led Ginebra with 34 points, including 15 in the final quarter. He also had 12 rebounds, three assists, four blocks, and three steals in 42 minutes. LA Tenorio also came up big, finishing with 20 points, including 10 in the Kings' 27-8 rampage in the first quarter. Scottie Thompson was also huge for Ginebra with a double-double 18 points and 11 rebounds, four assists, and three steals. Joe Devance added 16 markers. The Kings led by as many as 20 points but had to ward off numerous SMB rallies, the last one allowing the Beermen to come to within three at 90-93 with 2:42 left to play. But Brownlee once again came to Ginebra's rescue, hitting a clutch short baseline jumper and then nailing three free throws to take the fight out of the Beermen. Import Charles Rhodes paced SMB with 26 points. Alex Cabagnot scored 20 while Arwind Santos had 19. June Mar Fajardo added 13 while Marcio Lassiter chipped in 10 in a losing effort. Mahindra 122, Phoenix 121 Unheralded rookie Reden Celda lifted the Mahindra Floodbuster to a nail-biting 122-121 squeaker of a victory by scoring the game winner in overtime. The win was just the third in 10 games for the Floodbuster, but it was enough to keep their flickering playoff hopes. LA Revilla also played a huge role in the victory as he posted a team-high 26 points, 11 of them in the fourth quarter and the last two on a floater off Phoenix import Jameel McKay that tied the score at 116-all, forcing overtime. Revilla also five assists, four boards, and two steals. It was Celda's turn to play the hero's role in overtime as he scored the Floodbuster's first and last basket in overtime. He finished with a career-high 25 points. Import Keith Wright added 18 points and a whopping 21 rebounds in 47 minutes for Mahindra. Phoenix suffered its sixth loss in 10 games, and needs to win its last elimination round game against NLEX on Saturday, May 27, to enter the playoffs. Mckay led the Fuel Masters with 18 points, 12 boards, and seven assists. However, he missed a number of shots from close range in the fourth period. Gilas star Matthew Wright had a hot start for Phoenix but cooled down in the second half, scoring just four of his 17 points' total in that period, and missing a crucial three-pointer in the fading seconds in regulation that could have won the game for his team. Games Wednesday: NLEX Road Warriors (0-9) vs. Alaska Aces (4-4) and Star Hotshots (7-2) vs. Meralco Bolts (7-2).
