The 2024–25 PBA Philippine Cup’s first playdate in May saw the league hold its first double-header at the newly opened Ynares Center – Montalban. Here’s a recap of this historic game day:
NLEX Bests Undermanned Blackwater, Wins Third Straight
The NLEX Road Warriors pounced on an injury-riddled Blackwater Bossing on Friday with an 80-72 victory for their third straight win in the 2024–25 PBA Philippine Cup.
Robert Bolick led the way with his 20 points, including back-to-back treys in a crucial 10-0 run in the fourth that put the game out of reach in favor of the Road Warriors. He also had 7 rebounds and 6 assists. NLEX got plenty of production up and down the roster as well, with JB Bahio adding 12 points and 8 boards off the bench and Kevin Alas and Dominic Fajardo each chipping in 10.
BJ Andrade paced Blackwater with 15 points on an efficient 6-for-10 clip. RK Illagan and Bradwyn Guinto fired 14 and 13, respectively, for the Bossing, who sorely missed the injured Sedrick Barefield. Already a man down, Blackwater also lost Christian David to an ankle sprain early in the game.
The scores:
NLEX (80) – Bolick 20, Bahio 12, Fajardo 10, Alas 10, Semerad 9, Nieto 5, Torres 5, Ramirez 4, Policarpio 3, Mocon 2, Rodger 0, Herndon 0
Blackwater (72) – Andrade 15, Ilagan 14, Guinto 13, Ayonayon 9, Casio 5, Chua 5, Escoto 5, Mallilin 4, Tratter 2, Mitchell 0, Caperal 0, David 0
Up Next:
NLEX vs. Barangay Ginebra San Miguel on May 7 (Ninoy Aquino Stadium)
Blackwater vs. Rain or Shine Elasto Painters on May 7 (Ninoy Aquino Stadium)
Phoenix Outplays TNT to Send Grand Slam-Seeking Tropa to Worst Start
The Phoenix Fuel Masters rode on a strong first half and held firm in the second to pull out a 95-81 triumph over the Grand Slam-seeking TNT Tropang 5G.
Jason Perkins highlighted Phoenix’s dominant form with a game-high 27 points anchored on a perfect 3-for-3 clip from beyond the arc. Tyler Tio added 16 markers, also on a trio of treys, while Ken Tuffin and Kai Ballungay chipped in 11 apiece. The Fuel Masters’ complete team effort helped the team bounce back from their loss to the Magnolia Hotshots and improve to 2-3 in the 2024–25 PBA Philippine Cup.
Calvin Oftana’s 20 markers paced the Tropang 5G, who fell to their worst start in franchise history at 0-3. Simon Enciso fired 14, Rey Nambatac added 12, and RR Pogoy scored 10 but weren’t enough to get TNT going. It is now the only winless squad in the 2024–25 PBA Philippine Cup.
The scores:
Phoenix (95) – Perkins 27, Tio 16, Tuffin 11, Ballungay 11, Jazul 10, Garcia 8, Manganti 3, Camacho 3, Soyud 2, Verano 2, Ular 2, Rivero 0, Alejandro 0, Daves 0
TNT (81) – Oftana 20, Enciso 14, Nambatac 12, Pogoy 10, Heruela 6, Razon 6, Khobuntin 5, Erram 4, Galinato 2, Payawal 2, Ebona 0, Aurin 0, Varilla 0, Williams 0
Up Next:
Phoenix vs. San Miguel Beermen on May 11 (Ninoy Aquino Stadium)
TNT vs. San Miguel on May 4 (Ynares Center)
2024–25 PBA Philippine Cup Continues
The 2024–25 PBA Philippine Cup continues on Sunday at the Ynares Center with a double-header featuring the tournament’s only unbeaten team and its only winless team. The Terrafirma Dyip will take on the spotless Magnolia Hotshots in the first game, followed by the 0-3 Tropang 5G going up against the San Miguel Beermen in the second game.
