The PBA Commissioner’s Cup continued on Friday at the Ynares Center with two games that had vital implications on the standings. Here’s what happened:
TNT Vents Ire on Phoenix After Shock Loss to Terrafirma
The TNT Tropang Giga made sure there was no upset this time, burying the Phoenix Fuel Masters, 106-70, in a dominant display of offensive firepower and defensive ferocity.
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson paced a balanced TNT attack with 15 points and 10 boards. Roger Pogoy fired 12 and Calvin Oftana and Kim Aurin chipped in 11 apiece. Kelly Williams, Rey Nambatac, and Henry Galinato each had 8 as 15 of the 16 players Chot Reyes fielded in scored.
Tyler Tio finished with 14 points to pace the Fuel Masters, who got a lackluster performance from the usually prolific Donovan Smith. The sweet-shooting reinforcement finished with just 11 points on 5-for-15 shooting and 6 miscues. Smith’s struggles typified the Tropa’s defensive might as they held Phoenix to 28-for-74 shooting while forcing 23 turnovers.
With the win, TNT remains in the hunt for that top two slot.
Up next:
TNT vs. San Miguel Beermen on January 26 (Ynares Center)
The scores:
TNT (106) – Hollis-Jefferson 15, Pogoy 12, Oftana 11, Aurin 11, Nambatac 8, Williams 8, Galinato 8, Castro 6, heruela 6, Razon 6, Ebona 4, Khobuntin 4, Exciminiano 3, Payawal 2, Erram 2
Phoenix (70) – Tio 14, Smith 11, Ballungay 11, Manganti 7, Tuffin 6, Jazul 5, Perkins 5, Muyang 2, Garcia 2, Alejandro 1
San Miguel Survives Converge, Stays at Eighth
The San Miguel Beermen drew strong games all around and were just good enough in the end to eke out a 116-113 victory over the Converge FiberXers.
Import Malik Pope finally came alive for the Beermen after two lackluster efforts, dropping a PBA career-high 22 points, including 13 in San Miguel’s fiery third quarter, on top of 14 rebounds and 3 blocks. The Beermen built as much as a 19-point lead in the third on the strength of Pope’s inspired play—and they needed every bit of that cushion.
Listless for much of three quarters, Converge finally came alive in the fourth and got to within three, 114-111, on a four-point pull-up from Jordan Heading. But San Miguel made enough plays down the stretch—including a key steal from Juami Tiongson—to survive the FiberXers’ fiery onslaught.
Tiongson finished with his best game for the Beermen, firing 22 points on top of 4 rebounds and that big steal. June Mar Fajardo bucked a five-minute benching in the fourth due to a flagrant foul—San Miguel’s second for the game—to add 19 points and 14 boards.
Heading scored 25 for Converge, including a pair of four-pointers in the fourth. He also had 7 rebounds and 5 assists in another fine all-around showing. Alec Stockton added 19 points, while Justine Baltazar chipped in 13 in his first matchup with Fajardo.
With the win, San Miguel remains at solo eight. Converge, meanwhile, fell to a virtual tie at second place with three other teams.
Up next:
San Miguel vs. TNT on January 26 (Ynares Center)
The Scores:
San Miguel (116) – Tiongson 22, Pope 22, Fajardo 19, Trollano 17, Perez 11, Lassiter 10, Tautuaa 6, Cruz 6, Cahilig 3
Converge (113) – Diallo 28, Heading 25, Stockton 19, Baltazar 13, Racal 8, Andrade 6, Winston 5, Delos Santos 4, Santos 3, Javillonar 2
PBA Commissioner’s Cup: Next on Tap
The PBA Commissioner’s Cup will continue later today at the Ynares Center with a pair of crucial games. In the first game, the NorthPort Batang Pier will try to get a firmer grip of the top spot when they take on the out-of-contention Blackwater Bossing. In the second game, the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters will face off against the NLEX Road Warriors, with the former looking to avoid skidding further in the standings and the latter trying to stay alive.
