The Barangay Ginebra grabbed the early 1-0 series lead in the 2022 PBA Commissioners’ Cup Finals with a 96-81 win over the Bay Area Dragons. Will Ginebra go up 2-0 this Wednesday? Or, will Bay Area answer right back and level things up in Game 2?
Catch this game live on Wednesday, December 28 at 5:45 pm, Manila time.
Bay Area Dragons (0-1)
Projected Starting Five:
- PG: Glen Yang
- SG: Kobey Lam
- SF: Songwei Zhu
- PF: Hayden Blankley
- C: Andrew Nicholson
Sure, Bay Area lost in Game 1, but the Dragons remain the favorite to win Game 2 this Wednesday. That’s respect for the Dragons, who have yet to lose two games in a row this season. In Game 1, Andrew Nicholson, as expected, led the charge for Bay Area, scoring 27 points on 10/17 shooting from the floor. He also had 12 rebounds. What was lacking for the Dragons was support from some of their other top guys.
Hayden Blankley went only 2/13 from the field and 0/9 from behind the arc. He can’t be that cold all the time, though. The Dragons will let him keep on shooting, with the hope that he finds his rhythm soon to open up Ginebra’s defense. Prior to Game 1, Blankley averaged 19.0 points and 3.6 3FGM over the previous five Bay Area outings. Bay Area head coach Brian Goorjian whined about the officiating in Game 1, so the Dragons might see more calls go their way this Wednesday.
Barangay Ginebra San Miguel (1-0)
Projected Starting Five:
- PG: Scottie Thompson
- SG: Stanley Pringle
- SF: Jamie Malonzo
- PF: Justin Brownlee
- C: Japeth Aguilar
Ginebra is now 2-0 overall this conference against the Dragons, which speaks a lot about how well the Barangay match up against the visitors. Justin Brownlee gave the Dragons all sorts of trouble in the series opener, finishing Game 1 with 28 points and 13 rebounds to go with six assists. And unlike Nicholson, Brownlee got massive support from the locals.
LA Tenorio had a throwback performance, scoring 22 points on 9/18 shooting, while Christian Standhardinger and Scottie Thompson chipped in 16 and 14 points, respectively. The Barangay had their way offensively against Bay Area, particularly when getting into the shaded area, resulting in a +16 advantage in paint points. The Dragons also had trouble dealing with Ginebra’s combination of speed, athleticism, and size in the perimeter, with Jamie Malonzo, Japeth Aguilar, and Brownlee taking advantage on both ends of the floor. Ginebra just seems to have the antidote to the Dragons.
PREDICTION:
Spread: Ginebra (+4) covers the spread.
Over/Under: The total (195.5) hits the Over.
