Japet Aguilar scored 16 points and the Barangay Ginebra playing with a lot of poise in a tight finish for a 91-87 decision in the opener of the PBA Governors' Cup best-of-seven finale.
Justin Brownlee and his teammates finished strong in the third period and sustained the effort to the very end to steal Game One before a crowd of nearly 11,000 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum Tuesday night.
"It was a struggle for us. It was frustrating in some stretch. But I honestly feel this would be the kind of game we'll play every game. It would be fight to the end," said Ginebra coach Tim Cone.
On the trail most of the first three quarters, the Kings rolled ahead, 89-73, on a 12-2 opener in the payoff period and hung tough to gain the series head start.
They will enjoy the momentum and the proverbial psychological advantage as Game Two is played over at the Quezon Convention Center in Lucena City Friday.
Browlee erupted for 38 points on top of 16 rebounds, capping the huge effort with four-of-four charities that iced their win.
Somehow, the Bolts had their self-destruction with Chris Newsome turning the ball over while they're holding a slim 87-86 lead.
After surging ahead, 89-87, on three straight free throws from Brownlee and Stanley Pringle, the Kings essentially finished off the Bolts on a defensive gem by Japeth Aguilar, blocking a drive by Durham with 11 seconds to go.
Aguilar wound up as Ginebra's second-best scorer with 16 that went with six rebounds, three assists, three blocks and one steal. But he made the biggest difference on his rejection of Durham's shot.
Durham came through with a triple-double with 25 points, 18 rebounds and 10 assists but couldn't save the day for the Bolts - no thanks to their errors and missed in the crunch.
Newsome turned from hero to goat after rallying the Bolts back into the thick of the fight only to throw away crucial possession at the finish.
Going down the drain was Raymond Almazan's 20 points and 13 rebounds in a first final game with the Bolts.
With their solid job at the paint against the taller Kings, the Bolts dictated the tempo early on and led by as many as 10 at 61-51.
Much attention drawn by Durham opened things up for his teammates, and the Meralco gunners responded, raining down treys on the Kings to erect a double-digit spread in the third.
But then the Kings pulled a vintage comeback. PBA.PH
The scores:
Ginebra 91 - Brownlee 38, Aguilar 16, Tenorio 14, Pringle 10, Slaughter 8, Thompson 2, Chan 2.
Meralco 87 - Durham 25, Newsome 24, Almazan 20, Amer 9, Caram 4, Quinto 3, Hodge 0, Faundo 0, Pinto 0.
Quarterscores: 19-19, 41-37, 71-68, 91-87