As it cruised to a 2-0 lead over NorthPort in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup semifinals, the challenge now for Barangay Ginebra is to make sure it can’t take a step back even if it has the luxury to do so.

“It’s the playoffs, and you can’t mess around with that,” coach Tim Cone said after the Gin Kings’ 119-106 victory on Friday at Philsports Arena in Pasig City, the second straight night they won by double figures.

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Ginebra’s latest triumph, aided by a fiery first half anchored by Japeth Aguilar and Jamie Malonzo, has created an impression that getting back to the Finals is all but a mere formality, even if that target means needing two more wins to hit.

Cone and his wards took the opener, 115-93, before going on a tear in Game 2 with a lead that ballooned to 35 points, as Aguilar equalized his season-high with 31 points and Malonzo putting up 17.

The rest of the Gin Kings, meanwhile, shackled once more the Batang Pier’s main weapons, Arvin Tolentino, Joshua Munzon and turnover-prone import Kadeem Jack, as their defense opened the doors for another blowout.

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NorthPort did show some semblance of a fight in the second half, eventually closing the margin to what turned out to be the final count.

That’s why Cone and Ginebra are still wary going into Sunday’s Game 3 at Smart Araneta Coliseum, where they can put a stranglehold on what has become such a one-sided series.

“We really felt that we have to come in [Game 2] with a disciplined approach because we felt that there’s a real chance that we would step back and they would pick up the intensity,” he said. “But our guys did a really good job of staying disciplined in what we do.

“We got a little bit loose, I thought, toward the end of the third and start of the fourth,” added Cone. “It would have been nice if we had kept that big lead, but NorthPort probably found a crack in our armor so we have to prepare for that.”

Also serving as a positive omen for Ginebra was the long-awaited return of Jeremiah Gray, who had been sidelined since tearing his knee in the final game of the PBA On Tour exhibition series in July 2023.

Misfiring locals

Gray scored six points in nine minutes, as the Gin Kings are hoping that his presence could provide some quality contribution going forward.

Jack managed to finish with 27 points and 10 rebounds after committing four turnovers, most of which in the first half, which saw the Batang Pier in shambles.

Munzon and Tolentino added 14 and 12, respectively, but were a combined 11-of-29 from the field for the Batang Pier. William Navarro scored 23 with 12 rebounds and four assists for NorthPort, which would need to play the way it did in topping the preliminaries to have a semblance of a chance in Game 3.