Wide-bodied import Nate Brumfield churned out a stellar all-around performance to lead the Barangay Ginebra Kings to lopsided 115-98 win over the Meralco Bolts as the 36th PBA Commissioner's Cup opened shop yesterday at the Centennial Arena in Laoag City.
The 240-pounder Brumfield showed a lot of agility as he torched the net with 32 points aside from grabbing 11 rebounds and issuing eight assists.
Meralco's own reinforcement Tony Danridge also had a fine showing by coughing up 30 points but the bulk of his points came when Brumfield had already wreaked major havoc.
Brumfield sizzled for 21 points in the first two quarters of play and helped the Kings take a 59-42 edge into the final half.
With Ronald Tubid firing away, Ginebra led by as many as 24 points in the third. Tubid had 14 points in that period.
The Bolts chipped away at the deficit via a 10-0 tear that saw them rallying within 74-85 in the closing seconds of the period.
Brumfield ended the Kings’ dry spell with a buzzer-beating layup, giving Ginebra an 87-74 lead with one quarter left.
Danridge opened the fourth quarter scoring but Willie Miller keyed a telling run for the Kings, scoring nine points in a 12-0 blitzkrieg as Ginebra put the game beyond Meralco's reach by posting a 99-76 lead going into the final eight minutes.
Mark Caguioa and Miller gave Brumfield the needed local support by adding 20 and 16 markers.
New recruit Sol Mercado had strong start for the Bolts but tapered off in the final three quarters and settled for just 19 points. Veteran center Asi Taulava showed flashes of old brilliance by chipping in 24 points.
Action resumes on Wednesday at the Cuneta Astrodome pitting the Alaska Aces against the Powerade Tigers in the first game and the Derby Ace Llamados versus the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters in the nightcap.
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