The Meralco Bolts survived the TNT Tropang 5G on Tuesday, pulling out a hard-fought 110-106 victory at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium. With the win, Meralco joins the NLEX Road Warriors for solo second in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup standings. The loss dropped TNT to a tie with Barangay Ginebra San Miguel at 2-2, and joint fourth.
What Happened?
A balanced attack staked Meralco to a 27-21 lead after one as Marvin Jones, Cliff Hodge, and CJ Cansino all fired multiple baskets. The Bolts continued to wax hot in the second frame, outscoring TNT again, 27-19, to enter halftime ahead, 54-40.
TNT’s offense then came alive in the third as the Tropa fired 31 big points. However, their defense still lagged as they gave up 34 more to the Bolts, who took an 88-71 advantage into the final frame.
Meralco was still comfortably ahead, 107-93, with under four minutes left when a 12-0 salvo brought TNT to within 107-105. The Tropa even had the chance to take the lead on an RR Pogoy triple with 23 seconds left, but he was way off. It was the break Meralco needed to survive a tense endgame.
Who Stood Out?
Marvin Jones didn’t back down from his much-anticipated duel with TNT’s Bol Bol and wound up firing 29 big points for Meralco on top of 12 rebounds. CJ Cansino, who set his career high the last time the Bolts played the Tropa, added 19 more in this game to go along with 4 rebounds and 4 assists.
For TNT, Bol and Jordan Heading did most of the damage, with Heading firing 10 of his 21 in the fourth, and Bol scoring 8 of his 28 in the final six minutes.
3 Keys to the Game
- Hot shooting. Meralco’s hot shooting—47.1% overall as opposed to TNT’s 41.9%—made all the difference in this game. That shooting was particularly white hot in the third, where the Bolts outscored the Tropa 34-31 to build a 17-point edge going to the fourth.
- Interior scoring. Even with the 7-foot-3 Bol patrolling the paint for TNT, the Bolts still got inside and actually outscored the Tropa, 42-34, in the interior. In a four-point game, that advantage was key.
- Breaks of the game. For all of Meralco’s shooting, it still needed the breaks to go its way. And the breaks did go the Bolts’ way, with Pogoy’s potential go-ahead three going way off, and Bol turning it over after getting the offensive rebound off that miss.
Next Up for the PBA
Wednesday, April 8, 2026 | Ninoy Aquino Stadium
Blackwater Bossing vs. Titan Ultra Giant Risers (5:00 p.m.)
San Miguel Beermen vs. Rain or Shine Elasto Painters (7:30 p.m.)
