The 2024–25 PBA Philippine Cup continued on Friday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum with a pair of games that had big postseason implications as the TNT Tropang 5G, Barangay Ginebra San Miguel, and Meralco Bolts—teams with championship aspirations—went to battle. Here is a recap of the action:
TNT Stays Hot, Waylays NorthPort for Fifth Straight Win
Almond Vosotros, already set to have a family vacation in Japan, returned instead to the TNT Tropang 5G and helped the team to a 94-70 drubbing of the NorthPort Batang Pier to secure their fifth straight win and improve to 5-3 overall.
Vosotros made his presence felt in the second quarter, in particular, when he hit a troika of three-pointers to help TNT outscore NorthPort, 32-14, and extend a slim two-point lead to 52-32 going to intermission.
The veteran guard was one of six Tropang 5G to finish in double-figures as he had 12 for the game. Calvin Oftana topscored for the Tropa with 15, while Roger Pogoy added 13. Poy Erram, Simon Enciso, and Kelly Williams chipped in 11 apiece. TNT also got a boost from Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser, who made his PBA Season 49 debut after recovering from ACL.
Joshua Munzon’s 20 led the way for the Batang Pier, who also got 9 apiece from Cade Flores and new acquisition Jerrick Balanza. But with the loss, NorthPort dropped to 1-7 and was officially eliminated from playoff contention.
The scores:
TNT (94) – Oftana 15, Pogoy 13, Vosotros 12, Erram 11, Enciso 11, Williams 11, Aurin 7, Ganuelas-Rosser 5, Khobuntin 4, Heruela 4, Ebona 1, Varilla 0, Payawal 0, Exciminiano
NorthPort (70) – Munzon 20, Flores 9, Balanza 9, Cuntapay 7, Bulanadi 5, Jalalon 5, Onwubere 4, Yu 4, Nelle 3, Kwekuteye 2, Nava 2, Taha 0
Up Next:
TNT vs. Blackwater Bossing on June 6 (Ninoy Aquino Stadium)
NorthPort vs. Phoenix Fuel Masters on June 4 (PhilSports Arena)
Meralco Stymies Ginebra, Ends Elims on Winning Note
In a game that sorely lacked offense, the Meralco Bolts made just enough baskets to repulse Barangay Ginebra San Miguel, 82-73, and finish the eliminations with a win and a 6-5 record. Ginebra, meanwhile, dropped to 5-3, tied with TNT and the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters for fourth place.
Chris Newsome fired 15 points for the Bolts, who outscored Ginebra 24-19 in the third to turn a 37-37 tie at halftime to a 61-56 lead going to the fourth quarter. Chris Banchero added 14, Cliff Hodge chipped in 11 points and 8 boards, and CJ Cansino and Bong Quinto scored 10 apiece. The Bolts also got a timely boost from Jansen Rios, who hit a jumper and a triple to start the fourth that helped Meralco establish the biggest lead of the game at 67-59.
Scottie Thompson and Jamie Malonzo fired 16 a piece to lead the way for Ginebra, while Japeth Aguilar added 14. Troy Rosario and RJ Abarrientos scatter 12 each.
Both teams shot under 40% for the game, with Meralco hitting just 38.5% of their shots and Ginebra firing a ghastly 31.6%. They also combined for 30 turnovers—17 from the Bolts and 13 from the Gins.
The scores:
Meralco (82) – Newsome 15, Banchero 14, Hodge 11, Cansino 10, Quinto 10, Rios 5, Black 5, Bates 4, Almazan 4, Jose 4
Ginebra (73) – Thompson 16, Malonzo 16, Rosario 14, J. Aguilar 12, Abarrientos 12, Holt 3, Cu 0, Gray 0, David 0
Up Next:
Ginebra vs. Magnolia Hotshots on June 1 (Smart Araneta Coliseum)
2024–25 PBA Philippine Cup Continues
The 2024–25 PBA Philippine Cup continues with a slam-bang double-header, also at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. The NLEX Road Warriors will try to clinch a playoff berth when they take on the Phoenix Fuel Masters in the first game. Ginebra, meanwhile, will look to bounce back when it goes up against the league-leading Magnolia Hotshots, who bolstered its title aspirations with the acquisition of William Navarro recently.
