MANILA, Philippines – TNT may have won five games in a row in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup, but its latest triumph leaves much to be desired for Tropang Giga head coach Chot Reyes, especially with a marquee matchup coming up.
The Tropang Giga will stake their winning streak on Friday, January 17, at the PhilSports Arena against a Barangay Ginebra side that Reyes described as “highly upgraded” after acquiring former TNT forward Troy Rosario and recently welcoming back Jamie Malonzo.
“Huge game for us. The one thing I’m sure of is if we play this way on Friday, we cannot win,” said Reyes after the Tropang Giga completed a come-from-behind 94-87 win over NLEX at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium on Wednesday, January 15.
“We have to play a lot better than we played tonight.”
TNT trailed the Road Warriors by as many as 9 points, 56-65, before flipping the script behind Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Roger Pogoy, and Calvin Oftana.
Hollis-Jefferson bucked a rough shooting performance that saw him make just 7 of his 25 field goals (28%) as he delivered team highs of 23 points, 14 rebounds, 7 assists, and 3 blocks.
Pogoy fired 18 points and Oftana chimed in 14 points and 8 rebounds for the Tropang Giga, who have not lost since dropping their first two games of the conference.
Oftana and Pogoy combined for 16 points in the fourth quarter as TNT outscored NLEX, 31-20, in the period after trailing 63-67 at the end of the third frame.
The way the Tropang Giga fought back showed Reyes his charges’ resolve going into the Ginebra clash.
“It’s going to be very different, that’s a much better and highly upgraded Ginebra team. But… this team, we know how to put our heads down and grind it out and put in the work. Tonight, was a good example,” said Reyes.
“Our game wasn’t pretty at all, shots weren’t falling, but we found a way to win.”
Import Mike Watkins tallied another monster double-double of 33 points and 20 rebounds with 4 blocks, but those were not enough as the Road Warriors crashed to their fifth straight defeat.
NLEX, which witnessed star guard Robert Bolick struggle with only 4 points, 4 assists, and 3 rebounds due to a stomach flu, slipped to 3-6.
Earlier, Blackwater stayed in playoff contention after halting a four-game skid with a 96-86 victory over hapless Terrafirma.
Justin Chua supplied a 17-point, 12-rebound double-double to backstop import George King (26 points, 12 rebounds) as the Bossing improved to 2-7.
The Dyip fell to 0-10 in a game where veterans Terrence Romeo (1 point) and Vic Manuel (0 points) fired blanks.
The Scores
First game
Blackwater 96 – King 26, Chua 17, Ayonayon 15, Tungcab 11, David 8, Suerte 7, Escoto 4, Casio 2, Ponferrada 2, Jopia 2, Montalbo 2, Guinto 0.
Terrafirma 86 – Edwards 29, Sangalang 17, Paraiso 12, Pringle 9, Nonoy 9, Ferrer 7, Carino 2, Romeo 1, Hernandez 0, Manuel 0, Ramos 0, Catapusan 0.
Quarters: 34-30, 45-49, 71-67, 96-86.
Second game
TNT 94 – Hollis-Jefferson 23, Pogoy 18, Oftana 14, Erram 8, Aurin 8, Castro 6, Razon 6, Nambatac 5, Galinato 2, K. Williams 2, Khobuntin 2, Heruela 0.
NLEX 87 – Watkins 33, Alas 16, Torres 7, Policarpio 6, Mocon 6, Herndon 6, Bolick 4, Valdez 4, Rodger 3, Ramirez 2, Fajardo 0, Nieto 0.
Quarters: 24-19, 39-39, 67-63, 94-87.
– Rappler.com