Two teams on opposite ends of the spectrum—TNT Tropang 5G and Blackwater Bossing—opened the penultimate day of the PBA Philippine Cup eliminations at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium. The Bossing were hoping to play spoiler, but the Tropang had none of it, rolling over their also-ran adversaries, 113–96, to hike their record to 7–3 and move closer to a twice-to-beat incentive. Blackwater, on the other hand, concluded its campaign at 1–10.
What Happened?
TNT didn’t dilly-dally in this one, erasing any thoughts of an upset with a 35–25 first quarter that showed the Tropa meant business. They extended the lead to 66–51 at halftime thanks to the red-hot shooting of Calvin Oftana, RR Pogoy, and Jordan Heading, who combined to go 11-for-16 from downtown in the first half alone. The Tropa cooled down somewhat in the second half, but that didn’t prevent them from extending the lead en route to the 17-point victory.
Who Stood Out?
Oftana’s red-hot first half propelled TNT to an early lead. In all, the former San Beda Red Lion went 5-for-6 from deep in the first half on his way to a game-high 25 points. RR Pogoy added 18, including 12 from downtown in the game’s first 24 minutes.
Troy Mallillin played arguably his best game of the PBA Philippine Cup on Friday, finishing with a conference-high 20 points on 9-for-18 shooting. James Una came off the bench and added 12 points, five rebounds, one steal, and two blocks.
3 Keys to the Game
- Three-point shooting. TNT shot lights-out in the first half against Blackwater, going 12-for-21 as it raced out to an early double-digit advantage. Overall, the Tropa made 18 of their 45 triples, while Blackwater hit just six of their 24 attempts from downtown.
- Bench play. Oftana may have starred for TNT, but the Tropa bench came to play, too, with Pogoy coming off the bench for 18 big points and Henry Galinato Jr. adding 14 markers, along with seven rebounds and one block. Glen Khobuntin and Kim Aurin had eight apiece to help TNT’s second stringers outscore their Blackwater counterparts, 59–39.
- Strong start. TNT was locked in right from the opening whistle as it built a double-digit advantage after one. That strong start deflated the Bossing, as they couldn’t get into any sort of rhythm at all.
Next Up for the PBA
The PBA Philippine Cup will play its final double-header of the eliminations on Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. This twin bill will see TNT and the Magnolia Hotshots clash in the first game, and Barangay Ginebra San Miguel and the Titan Ultra Giant Risers face off in the second game. Both games have bearing on the seedings and will impact where teams finish.
TNT vs. Magnolia (5:15 p.m.)
Ginebra vs. Titan Ultra (7:30 p.m.)
