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Balkman, Brownlee glad to put on a show in first PBA encounter

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ABS-CBN NewsCamille B. Naredo, ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2018/sports/06/03/060318-brownlee.jpg"/><figcaption>Renaldo Balkman and Justin Brownlee exchange a hug after their PBA game. Richard Esguerra, <a href="https://sports.abs-cbn.com/pba/photos" target="_blank">ABS-CBN Sports</a></figcaption></figure></div>MANILA, Philippines – Forty-eight minutes were not enough to decide the winner of the first PBA showdown between former Alab Pilipinas teammates Renaldo Balkman and Justin Brownlee.The &quot;brothers&quot; turned rivals faced off in the PBA Commissioner&#x27;s Cup for the first time on Sunday at the Mall of Asia Arena, with Balkman and the rest of the San Miguel Beermen getting the better of Brownlee and the Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings.It just took another five minutes for Balkman and the Beermen to get the job done, as they seized a 104- 97 win in overtime.&quot;Like I told y&#x27;all before, may the best man win,&quot; said Balkman, who had 27 points and 11 boards in the victory, offsetting his nine turnovers. &quot;At the end of the day, we won.&quot;&quot;But he&#x27;s still my brother, you know what I&#x27;m saying?&quot; he added.Brownlee expressed a similar sentiment. &quot;Personally, I treated it like any other game, other than playing a brother. But it was fun,&quot; said the celebrated import who has led Ginebra to the past two Governor&#x27;s Cup titles. &quot;They played tough.&quot;<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://sports.abs-cbn.com/pba/news/2018/06/03/pba-san-miguel-outlasts-ginebra-overtime-classic-42458">PBA: San Miguel outlasts Ginebra in overtime classic</a></li></ul>More than anything, the two imports were glad to have put on a show for the fans who packed the MOA Arena on Sunday evening.&quot;Like I said, it was going to be a show,&quot; said Brownlee, who did a little of everything for Ginebra with 18 points, 14 rebounds, seven assists, five blocks and three steals. &quot;Hopefully, the fans enjoyed it.&quot;&quot;Man, I mean, it&#x27;s a great matchup. It was two guys playing hard, two guys must-win. And I came out with a win. It&#x27;s not just me and Brownlee, it&#x27;s a team game,&quot; said Balkman.Indeed, Balkman – who ensured that the game will go to overtime by picking off Joe Devance&#x27;s inbound pass in Ginebra&#x27;s final possession – stressed that the contest meant so much more than a showdown between the two imports.&quot;A lot of people were saying me vs. him, I didn&#x27;t see it like that. I&#x27;m a team player, I&#x27;ll get my team involved. Same thing with him, I know he thinks the same way. If you don&#x27;t play team basketball you&#x27;ll lose,&quot; he said.Both players also welcomed the presence of their Alab Pilipinas coach, Jimmy Alapag, and teammate Ray Parks who were at courtside for the marquee game.&quot;It was great to see them courtside, showing support not only for me but for (Balkman) as well,&quot; said Brownlee.Balkman, for his part, joked that neither Alapag nor Parks bought tickets to the game.&quot;Check their ticket stubs!&quot; he said.&quot;Nah, but it was great seeing them again because they motivate me. Even off the court they call me. That&#x27;s all motivation for me. For them to sit there and watch me play, I was just with them, it means a lot to me. I don&#x27;t got nothing but positive for them,&quot; he added.It remains to be seen if Balkman and Brownlee will face off down the road in the Commissioner&#x27;s Cup. As it stands, Balkman and the Beermen are at 2-3, and have momentum heading into the closing stretch of the conference.Brownlee and the Gin Kings are in a more precarious position, however, as they are at 1-5 so far.&quot;We&#x27;re still confident,&quot; said Brownlee. &quot;Of course, nobody wants to be 1-5, but our hands are going to stay up, and we&#x27;re going to keep our comfort zones and fight, just fight.&quot;For more sports coverage, visit the <a href="http://sports.abs-cbn.com" target="_blank">ABS-CBN Sports website.</a>

Forty-eight minutes were not enough to decide the winner of the first PBA showdown between former Alab Pilipinas teammates Renaldo Balkman and Justin Brownlee.

Forty-eight minutes were not enough to decide the winner of the first PBA showdown between former Alab Pilipinas teammates Renaldo Balkman and Justin Brownlee.

Balkman, Brownlee glad to put on a show in first PBA encounter

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Balkman, Brownlee glad to put on a show in first PBA encounter

ABS-CBN NewsCamille B. Naredo,

ABS-CBN News

Published June 03, 2018 11:32 PM PHT

Read More:

PBA

basketball

PBA Commissioner's Cup

Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings

San Miguel Beermen

Renaldo Balkman

Justin Brownlee

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