MANILA, Philippines – RJ Abarrientos surely won’t forget this Christmas.

Playing in his first Clasico game, Abarrientos delivered the winning plays as Barangay Ginebra completed a pulsating come-from-behind 95-92 win over Magnolia in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup on Wednesday, December 25.

The rookie guard fueled the Gin Kings’ comeback then set up Scottie Thompson for the game-winner to cap a stellar performance that saw him net 20 points with 5 assists and 3 steals.

And Abarrientos did it at the expense of his uncle and PBA great Johnny, who serves as one of the Hotshots’ assistant coaches.

“We were encouraged to win because it’s Christmas,” said Abarrientos in a mix of Filipino and English. “We wanted to give the crowd our best because it’s the Manila Clasico.”

“This is special for the Ginebra team. This is also special for me because it’s my first time playing in the Manila Clasico and with my uncle [on the other side].”

Ginebra trailed by as many as 22 points before Abarrientos took over.

Abarrientos scattered 17 points, including 4 three-pointers, in the second half as he joined hands with import Justin Brownlee, who finished with 28 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists, to put the Gin Kings in a position to win.

When it came to the final possession, Abarrientos pushed all the right buttons, attracting the Magnolia defense and finding a wide-open Thompson on the left corner for the game-winning triple at the buzzer.

“It was designed for RJ to make the decision. We wanted to get the ball into RJ’s hand and then put him in a pick and roll situation with Justin,” said Ginebra head coach Tim Cone.

“So we wanted to flare Justin out and we were spreading everybody out and we were hoping that RJ would get some penetration into the paint, either throw back to Justin or find somebody open.”

“We put the game in RJ’s hands and he delivered with a great pass to Scottie.”

The win hiked the Gin Kings’ record to 4-2 as they enter the new year on a high. – Rappler.com