Lights back on for Bolts Durham’s 38 pts. guarantee there will be a Game 5
The series, because the Meralco Bolts willed it so, is headed for the biggest stage of all – the 55,000-capacity Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan.
For Game 5 on Sunday and, should Barangay Ginebra San Miguel fail to wrap it up by then, a Game 6 and, if necessary, a winner-take-all Game 7 – all three inside the colossal, jawdropping venue.
Reynel Hugnatan fired 22 points last night as Meralco finally broke the ice in the PBA Governors’ Cup Finals, chalking up a 94-81 victory over defending champion Barangay Ginebra in Game 3 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The 14-year veteran Hugnatan, a barely discernible blip in the series, converted 7-of-15 shots from beyond three-point territory to power the Bolts back to life after falling behind in the championship.
Allen Durham, recipient of the Best Import award for the second straight season, likewise did his part as he bulldozed his way to 38 points and 20 rebounds to help the Bolts avoid a 3-0 hole.
“The game becomes a lot easier if we make our shots,” said Meralco coach Norman Black. “A lot of credit goes to Reynel, who stepped up and made a lot of three-point shots.”
It was 77-all when the Bolts scored nine consecutive points that started with a technical free throw by Garvo Lanete when Japeth Aguilar was assessed a T with 4:42 left.
Durham followed that up with a layup and a block on Ginebra counterpart Justin Brownlee. Chris Newsome then found an open Hugnatan from the top of the key for a three-point shot, 8377, 3:37 to play.
After another defensive stop by Durham, he attacked the shaded lane against Ginebra’s 7-foot center Greg Slaughter for an end-one that gave Meralco an 86-77 advantage with 2:47 remaining.
LA Tenorio ended Meralco’s run with his own 3, but Durham converted a jumper and after a missed jumper by Tenorio, Jared Dillinger iced the game with a triple for 91-80.
The win came at a cost for the Bolts as Ranidel de Ocampo came down with a strained left calf muscle he sustained with 8:24 left in the opening quarter while trying to drive against Brownlee.
Game 4 is tomorrow at the Big Dome.
The game ended with a brief exchange between Black and Ginebra mentor Tim Cone who refused to shake hands with the Bolts mentor, apparently angered by a timeout Meralco called with 38 seconds left.
“I think everybody knows Tim is the all-time leader in wins and championships in the PBA. I’ve never in my life made any effort to tell him how to coach his team, so I never need him to tell me how I’ll coach mine,” said Black.
“He didn’t shake my hand because he was mad about the last timeout. That’s his problem, not mine,” Black added.