The Magnolia Hotshots continued their second-half tear in this PBA Commissioner’s Cup with a wire-to-wire 106-94 victory over the TNT Tropang 5G on Tuesday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium. The win, the Hotshots’ sixth in their last eight, moves them up to 6-5 and keeps their top-four bid alive. The loss drops the Tropa to 6-5 and puts them in danger of a bottom-four finish.
What Happened?
Magnolia came out on fire, racing to a 35-15 lead as it combined on-point offense with stifling defense. Clint Chapman led the early onslaught with 18 first-quarter points, followed by 8 from Mark Barroca along with 5 assists. A quick 11-4 spurt early in the second got TNT to within 39-26, only for the Hotshots to recover and extend the lead later in the quarter. After 24 minutes of action, Magnolia entered halftime with a 59-40 lead.
TNT made another move after intermission, with Bol Bol firing 12 points in the third to nudge the Tropa closer, 81-72, heading into the fourth. TNT had actually come to within 74-72 on a Glen Khobuntin triple, but the Hotshots steadied the ship with a Chapman dunk, a Javi Gomez de Liaño 4-pointer, and a Peter Alfaro split from the stripe. Magnolia continued to hang tough in the fourth, fending off the Tropa time and again to notch the win.
Who Stood Out?
Energized by his parents watching him live, Chapman put up his best game in local hoops as he finished with a team-high 42 points to go along with 14 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 blocks. Barroca was steady as well, dropping a 15-point, 12-assist double-double as the orchestrator of the Magnolia offense. Zavier Lucero, meanwhile, stood out for his intangibles, particularly on defense, while also tallying 13 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 assists.
TNT, in contrast, relied mainly on Bol Bol, who responded with a monster double-double of 53 points and 13 rebounds, along with 5 blocks. However, he again got little support from the Tropa’s locals, with Calvin Oftana dropping 17 on an inefficient 7-for-17 clip.
3 Keys to the Game
- Strong start. Magnolia’s 35-15 first quarter proved to be the difference. The Hotshots going off early forced TNT to play catch-up the rest of the way, leaving them no choice but to lean on Bol’s scoring and tiring him out in the process.
- Three-point shooting. Neither team shot particularly well, but TNT’s struggles from deep were glaring. Once again, the long ball deserted one of the PBA’s most prolific 3-point shooting teams as TNT made only 5 of their 23 attempts. In contrast, Magnolia hit 8 of their 23 tries from beyond the arc.
- Local support. While Chapman scored 42, he had plenty of local support, with Barroca chipping in 15 and Lucero adding 13. Three other players contributed at least 7, while Ian Sangalang had 6. In contrast, only Oftana finished in double digits among the Tropa’s locals. Their next leading scorers, Henry Galinato Jr. and Khobuntin, had only 6 each.
Next Up for the PBA
Wednesday, May 6, 2026 | Ninoy Aquino Stadium
Macau Black Knights vs. Phoenix Fuel Masters (5:15 p.m.)
San Miguel Beermen vs. Terrafirma Dyip (7:30 p.m.)
