Quezon city: Chris McCullough outplayed Justin Brownlee in an epic import showdown to lead TNT to a 98-90 win against Ginebra on Sunday night in Game 6 of the PBA Commissioner's Cup Finals in front of 22,731 fans at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
According to Philippines News Agency, two nights after witnessing Brownlee drop a career-high 54 points, McCullough responded with a 53-point blast on 20 of 36 shooting, including 6 of 12 on long-range bombs and 22 rebounds. However, none was more important than his four-point shot with 1:53 left that gave the Tropang 5G enough cushion to hold off the Brownlee-led gallant fight by the Gin Kings.
"Just to come out and be aggressive, I'll take my shots and not shy away from those shots even though I've been missing a lot. I've been doing this for 12 years, so it's something I know how to do. And I'm just happy we stuck with it, played good defense, rebounded well, and hit big shots," said McCullough, a first-round pick in the 2015 NBA Draft.
Jordan Heading added 19 points, one rebound, nine assists, one steal, and one block for TNT, which sent the championship round to a Game 7 on Wednesday night at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay. The team won Game 6 despite being forced to sit out injured stars Calvin Oftana and Brandon Rosser, and the franchise held on even if Jayson Castro sprained his ankle in-game.
Fresh from the 54-point blast in Ginebra's Game 4 overtime win, Brownlee fired 52 on 23 of 33 field goals, five rebounds, three assists, two steals, and two blocks, but no other Gin King finished in double figures scoring-wise. "We just want to go out there and win. We want to play our best foot forward and try to play the best that I could for the team," Brownlee said on his drive for back-to-back 50-point games.
According to chief statistician Fidel Mangonon, the McCullough-Brownlee showdown was the first time both PBA finalists had 50-point players each since Carlos Briggs dropped 60 for the Ginebra franchise, then known as A±ejo, and Ennis Whatley fired exactly 50 for San Miguel in Game 4 of the 1989 Reinforced Conference championship.
