The Meralco Bolts took full advantage of the absence of Bol Bol to hack out an 87-76 victory over the TNT Tropang 5G on Friday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena. Meralco’s win ties their PBA Commissioner’s Cup semis series with TNT at a game apiece.
What Happened?
TNT came out firing, racing ahead to an 18-6 lead behind a blazing-hot Bol Bol, who had 10 points in the first eight minutes of the opening frame. Then, at the 2:50 mark of the first quarter, Bol went to his patented high pickup in transition but came down awkwardly after appearing to tweak his left ankle. The South Sudanese big man had to come out of the game and never returned, with his injury later ruled as a partial Achilles tear.
Importless the rest of the way, the Tropa leaned on RR Pogoy and Calvin Oftana heavily starting in the second quarter. For a while, it looked like the locals’ efforts would be enough for TNT as it continued to stay in front up until late in the third quarter. But a Javee Mocon-led 10-2 run to end the third finally gave Meralco the lead for the first time since early in the opening frame.
The Bolts then gained a measure of control with a 9-2 blitz to start the final frame, turning a 57-57 tie into a 66-59 advantage. TNT, though, continued putting up a valiant effort, getting within 66-64 at the 8:19 mark and 76-74 with 3:44 left. But the Bolts finally put the game away behind Chris Newsome and Marvin Jones.
Who Stood Out?
Chris Newsome and Javee Mocon stood tall for Meralco in Game 2. Mocon helped keep the Bolts afloat in the first three quarters and finished with 16 points and 5 rebounds off the bench. Newsome then took over in the fourth, firing 15 of his 24 markers in an impressive takeover.
With Bol out starting at the 2:50 mark of the first quarter, TNT relied heavily on Oftana and Pogoy. They looked poised to tow the Tropa to a stunner, with Pogoy going off for a game-high 27 points on top of 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block. Oftana, meanwhile, tallied 22 markers to go along with 9 boards.
3 Keys to the Game
- Injury. It seems unfair to say that an injury changed the trajectory of a game, but this was exactly the case in Game 2. Bol Bol’s injury was the story of the night, and TNT felt his absence on both ends. On offense, the Tropa didn’t have the safety net of Bol’s near-unstoppable shot creation. On defense, TNT didn’t have Bol’s long arm of the law protecting the paint, allowing Newsome to get into the heart of the Tropang 5G defense time and again in the fourth.
- Interior scoring. Neither team shot particularly well in Game 2, but Meralco was slightly better, shooting 43.3% overall compared to TNT’s 38.0%. One reason for this was the Bolts repeatedly attacking the paint and converting lay-ins and point-blank shots. In all, Meralco outscored TNT, 46-36, in the paint.
- Three-point shooting. Again, neither team shot well from deep in Game 2, with the Tropa going 4-for-23 and the Bolts shooting 5-for-15. However, TNT felt it more given its reliance on the long ball. Had the Tropa shot their usual clip from distance, the game might have turned out differently.
Next Up for the PBA
Sunday, May 24, 2026 | SM Mall of Asia Arena
TNT Tropang 5G vs. Meralco Bolts (5:15 p.m.)
Barangay Ginebra San Miguel vs. Rain or Shine Elasto Painters (7:30 p.m.)
