The 2024–25 PBA Philippine Cup semis cast is complete after Saturday’s double-header at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium. The twin bill featured winner-take-all outings between the Magnolia Hotshots and TNT Tropang 5G and the NLEX Road Warriors and Rain or Shine Elasto Painters. Here is a recap of the action:
TNT Survives Magnolia in Another Thriller
The TNT Tropang 5G’s Grand Slam bid is alive and burning after the Tropa pulled out a scintillating 80-79 victory over the Magnolia Hotshots to advance to the semis.
Like in their first game, TNT and Magnolia battled from the get-go, with the Tropa hitting early and building a 41-33 lead going to intermission. The Grand Slam-seeking Tropang 5G were still ahead, 63-56, going to the fourth and looked well in control. But the Hotshots fought back in the fourth, tying things up at 74 with under three minutes left and even taking the lead, 79-78, on an undergoal stab by Ian Sangalang with 5 ticks left.
TNT next went to Jordan Heading for a four-pointer for the win, but his shot bounced out. Unfortunately for Magnolia, ka-Tropa Kelly Williams beat Rafi Reavis for rebounding position, leading to the latter fouling the former as he attempted a putback off the offensive glass. On the charity stripe again with the game on the line like in Game 1, the Fil-Am bruiser calmly sank both freebies once more for the final tally.
RR Pogoy and Calvin Oftana led the way for TNT with identical stat lines of 18 points and 7 boards. Williams finished with a double-double of 10 points and 10 boards, while Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser added 12 off the bench. Zavier Lucero paced the losing side with 15 points and 10 rebounds, followed by 14 points and 7 rebounds from Ian Sangalang. Jerom Lastimosa and Aris Dionisio chipped in 13 and 12, respectively.
The scores:
TNT (80) – Oftana 18, Pogoy 18, Ganuelas-Rosser 12, Williams 10, Enciso 7, Erram 4, Khobuntin 4, Heading 3, Nieto 2, Aurin 0, Vosotros 0
Magnolia (79) – Lucero 15, Sangalang 14, Lastimosa 13, Dionsio 12, Dela Rosa 9, Barroca 8, Lee 4, Navarro 4, Reavis 0, Alfaro 0, Laput 0
Rain or Shine Ousts NLEX Behind Torrid Fourth Quarter
The Rain or Shine Elasto Painters is going to the semifinals for a fourth straight conference after beating the NLEX Road Warriors, 102-93, in their do-or-die matchup.
Unlike in Game 1, however, Rain or Shine started a little lethargic but still stayed close to NLEX to reach halftime just down, 55-52. The nip-and-tuck affair continued throughout the third, with both teams trading buckets one stretch and stops the next. After three, though, the Elasto Painters were ahead, 78-77 as Leonard Santillan, Andrei Caracut, and Mike Malonzo came alive.
Come the fourth, Rain or Shine gradually took over, building a double-digit cushion, 92-82, at the halfway mark of the fourth thanks to a 10-1. The Elasto Painters would hang on to that lead, making just enough shots and stops to keep NLEX at bay.
Santillan led the charge for Rain or Shine with a team-high 24 points on top of 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 3 blocks. Andre Caracut added 16 points, while Jhonard Clarito put up 13 points and 16 boards in another yeoman’s effort. Anton Asistio and Malonzo chipped in 11 and 10, respectively.
Robert Bolick’s game-high 34 points paced NLEX, who also got 11 points from JB Bahio and 10 points and 8 boards from Brandon Ramirez. Xyrus Torres, who has torched Rain or Shine this conference twice, was limited to only 4 markers.
With the win, Rain or Shine arranged another semis duel with TNT, their playoffs nemesis the past few conferences.
The scores:
Rain or Shine (103) –Santillan 24, Caracut 16, Clarito 13, Asistio 11, Malonzo 10, Mamuyac 9, Tiongson 8, Nocum 5, Norwood 4, Porter 3, Datu 0
NLEX (92) –Bolick 34, Bahio 11, Ramirez 10, Mocon 9, Fajardo 7, Semerad 6, Policarpio 5, Torres 4, Nieto 2, Valdez 2, Alas 2
2024–25 PBA Philippine Cup Playoffs Continue
The 2024–25 PBA Philippine Cup playoffs will continue Wednesday with the start of the best-of-seven semifinals. In the first game, Rain or Shine and TNT renew their semis rivalry, while the San Miguel Beermen and Barangay Ginebra San Miguel face off in the second game.
