Another Game without Slaughter: Another Ginebra Loss

(Photo by the PBA Media Bureau)

The Gin Kings almost erased a double-digit deficit only to falter in the end

The Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings have been relying on the sheer height and might of their Twin Towers of Greg Slaughter and Japeth Aguilar owing to the fact that they are indeed among the tallest and most efficient big men we have in the league right now. So if one of them is down due to injury or is struggling offensively, Ginebra struggles, too.

Heading into their game against the Phoenix Fuel Masters, Tim Cone has said that Ginebra will need to exert extra effort if they are to break free from their 2-game losing streak.

As it turned out, the Gin Kings exerted extra in trying to come back from a double-digit deficit in the 4th quarter only to miss crucial baskets and commit careless turnovers which allowed the Phoenix Fuel Masters to escape with the win, 87-82. That, by the way, is Ginebra's 3rd consecutive loss after starting the Philippine Cup with two straight victories. 

What happened to Ginebra? Below are the numbers:

10 Points in the Second Quarter

To give credit to Tim Cone's boys, Ginebra actually ended the first quarter on top, at 19-15.  But things went sour in the second quarter as Phoenix began running away, scoring 34 points in the second quarter while Ginebra only managed to score 10 points. Even though Ginebra scored 24 and 29 points in the 3rd and 4th quarters respectively, that second-quarter meltdown was too much to overcome as Phoenix built a lead that went up as high as 24 points.

Defensive Lapses allowed  Phoenix to Score

While this can be associated towards the mere fact that Ginebra sorely missed the services of Greg Slaughter, it wasn't a valid excuse to allow Phoenix to make 42% of their field goals. The Gin Kings also failed to defend the Fuel Masters on the break as Phoenix scored 14 fast break points which were far from Ginebra's 6 points. 

Willy Wilson's 19 Points

If you want more evidence on how poor Ginebra was defending against Phoenix, just take a look at Willy Wilson's performance. Wilson co-led the way for Louie Alas' boys with 19 points on a perfect 7 for 7 field goal shooting. He also had 5 rebounds and 2 assists in only 24 minutes off the bench. 

Conclusion

Things aren't looking promising for the Gin Kings as they are set to become the next team who will try to stop the San Miguel Beermen who have been wreaking havoc as they are on a 5-game winning streak. If Ginebra can have Greg Slaughter back and playing, the Gin Kings MIGHT have a shot at an upset. Without Gregzilla? It's already a disaster in the making. 

The scores:

Phoenix- 87
Wilson 19, Chan 19, Wright 19, Perkins 12, Revilla 6, Mendoza 4, Alolino 4, Kramer 2, Jazul 2, Intal 0, Chua 0, Guevarra 0.

Ginebra- 82
Thompson 22, J. Aguilar 21, Ferrer 11, Tenorio 10, Cruz 6, Caguioa 6, Mariano 3, R. Aguilar 3, Mercado 0, Taha 0, Jamito 0, J. Wilson 0.

Quarter Scoring: 15-19, 49-29, 75-53, 87-82.