Brgy. Ginebra def NLEX, 127-93 [Quarterfinals | PBA S47 Govs’ Cup | Mar. 19, 2023]
It’s been a while since Barangay Ginebra and San Miguel Beer figured in a playoff face-off. The wait for this one is over.
Denied of a playoff top seeding, the Gin Kings nonetheless took the quick route to the PBA Governors’ Cup Final Four with a 127-93 rout of a Wayne Selden-less NLEX side at the Smart Araneta Coliseum Sunday.
Sans the injury-hit Selden, the Road Warriors just had no answer for Justin Brownlee and his teammates who pounded the opening to set up a best-of-five semis showdown with the Beermen.
The second-seeded Beermen, earlier, also took one attempt to make the semis, blasting the Coverge FiberXers, 121-105.
Thus, Ginebra and San Miguel are duking it out in a playoff clash again – the first time since the Kings disposed of the Beermen in the 2019 Governors’ Cup quarterfinals.
As the fourth seed then, Ginebra knocked out San Miguel in one try, then topped NLEX in four games of a best-of-five semifinals and proceeded to win the crown with a 4-1 conquest of Meralco.
The Kings found no problem booking a semis return in the season-ending tourney despite the continued sidelining of Japeth Aguilar and LA Tenorio due to their own health woes.