BARANGAY Ginebra is back in the thick of things for a Top 4 finish in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup.
And the comebacking Scottie Thompson has something to do with that.
Since returning from active duty after recovering from a swollen knee injury, the former MVP helped the team arrest a two-game skid with back-to-back victories over Meralco and TNT.
In the two games he played, Thompson averaged all-around numbers of 16.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 7.0 assists and emerged as Best Player of the Game each time.
The impact which he brought upon his Ginebra return made the 30-year-old Thompson as the last PBA Press Corps-Pilipinas Live Player of the Week for the year 2023.
Terrence Romeo on account of his explosive Christmas Day performance for San Miguel, and Christian Standhardinger, who led the Ginebra locals in scoring and rebounding, crowded out Thompson for the weekly honor for the period Dec. 20 to 25.
Thompson immediately made his presence felt in his comeback game after a three-week absence, chipping 21 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists In a 110-96 against Meralco.
Then on Christmas Day, he delivered 12 points but bombed away two crucial three pointers down the stretch for an 86-78 come-from-behind win against the Tropang Giga. For good measure, he also had seven rebounds and seven assists.
The win clinched a quarterfinals berth for Ginebra, which caught up with San Miguel at fourth place with a 6-3 record, still good enough to have a shot at a twice-to-beat advantage in the playoffs.
“When Scottie came in, he changes everything,” admitted Meralco coach Luigi Trillo. “In the two games that they lost, he wasn’t there. So you can see the disparity in movement.”