Mark Caguioa, the reigning PBA MVP and Barangay Ginebra’s undisputed heart and soul, was out for the second straight game.

Big men Kerby Raymundo and Rico Maierhofer both failed to make it to the Araneta Coliseum because of different illnesses.

And with a major manpower shortage like that, Barangay Ginebra coach Alfrancis Chua knew just how to motivate and drive his Gin Kings to perform at their absolute best.

“I told them, while inside the dugout, to look to their left and right and know that the guys sitting next to you are the only ones who’ll help you win this game,” Chua said moments after the Gin Kings escaped Air21, 90-84, last night for their fifth straight Commissioner’s Cup victory.

“I told them, just don’t look for the guys who are here,” Chua added after he got standout performances from unheralded Rob Labagala and Elmer Espiritu in the clutch that keyed the Kings’ sixth victory in 11 games overall.

And there was Vernon Macklin, the explosive Ginebra import who frolicked when Air21 counterpart Michael Dunigan got into foul trouble, finishing with 32 points, 11 rebounds, two assists, two blocks and two steals in 46 minutes.

“All the players contributed and that’s a very good sign,” Chua explained as Ginebra practically made it to the playoffs and put the Express, who are now at 5-7, in a very precarious position after losing their second straight game.

Starting point guard LA Tenorio scattered 18 points, also had 11 boards and missed a triple double by just four assists while Espiritu wound up with 10, including a crucial triple in the fourth that opened up a five-point Ginebra lead.

Air21 actually zoomed ahead, 79-76, only for Dunigan to pick up his sixth foul with a little over four minutes left, and the Express were never the same after that as the Kings dropped five unanswered points to forge ahead for good.

Dunigan played just 26 minutes, with three of his six fouls looking to be very questionable. His fifth foul supposedly committed on Macklin was such a bum call as replays showed the Ginebra import tripping by himself while going for a drive.

Dunigan, who was averaging 27 points and 16 rebounds going into the game, finished with just 16 points and eight rebounds, the second lowest totals in his very impressive PBA career.

The Ginebra streak tied the longest in the tournament currently being held by idle Alaska, which is tied for the lead with Rain or Shine, and Petron, which is in third place at 6-4 and will be welcoming a new import for Friday in Herman Simms.

Defending champion San Mig Coffee avoided joining the Express in the same boat later in the night after nipping Talk ‘N Text, 83-82.

The Mixers, who beat the Texters in seven pulsating games to rule this event last season, came back from 10 points down in the final six minutes and rose to a level 6-6.

But coach Tim Cone – the veteran that he is – is not taking the win by looking at it in the context of the standings, where the Mixers are now in fifth place, but for confidence since his team has been up-and-down the whole tournament.

“We need this for confidence more than anything else, more than the standings,” Cone, who won a Grand Slam with Alaska in 1996, said. “We have been very inconsistent all conference long. Win, loss, win loss. Consistency is greatness, and we need that at the moment.”

Cone admitted that he doesn’t know how his boys pulled this game out, as they trailed, 69-79, heading into the final six minutes.

The Mixers scored all but three of the game’s final 17 points to sweep their two elimination round matches with the Tropang Texters, who fell to 5-6, now needing to win games in a string to close out the round and gain good playoff position.