From the looks of it, TNT reaching the PBA Season 49 Philippine Cup Finals is no longer a matter of how, but has become a matter of when.
The Tropang 5G have moved a win away from booking a third straight trip to the Big Dance following a 108-92 victory over Rain or Shine to take a 3-1 lead in their race-to-4 semifinal series, Wednesday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
As they’ve done in their past meetings, the Grand Slam seekers wrestled control of the match late in the third quarter. They then broke away in the final period, leaving their foes a frustrated bunch after losing grip yet again.
After engaging in a nip-and-tuck affair, the Elasto Painters found themselves bowing as they failed — again — to capitalize on TNT’s manpower problems.
(C) PBA Images
Still missing Roger Pogoy due to a hamstring issue, the crew lost Kelly Williams due to a sprain during the first half, and even had no Calvin Oftana on the floor for a time during the fourth after stepping on Gabe Norwood’s foot.
The young winger did manage to return with about seven minutes left, but the game was all but settled at that time. In his place, the remaining cogs stepped up and kept the ship steady despite the predicament.
With yet another character win, the Tropang 5G can advance as early as Friday should they take care of business in Game 5 at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
But that’s further down Coach Chot Reyes’ priorities, as he first needs to solve how to compensate for another Texter going on the injury/reserve list.
“For me, going into the next game, my only concern is who do we have and how can I make best use out of whoever it is we have left,” he said.
Jordan Heading, who’s still not a hundred percent due to a nagging back injury, led the pack with a game-high 23 points, five rebounds, and six assists.
The lefty guard scored 13 of his points in the deciding chapter as he headed their sprint to the finish line. His assist to Poy Erram pushed their lead to its biggest at 19, 95-76, with less than eight minutes on the clock.
Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser submitted his best game of the semis thus far with 22 points and 11 rebounds. Meanwhile, Oftana still produced 16 points, seven rebounds, and four assists despite spraining both of his ankles.
Glenn Khobuntin scored 16 points as well, 11 of which he made in the third alone as he led their critical 9-0 run toward a 76-67 lead approaching the quarter’s last two minutes to take control of the game for good.
TNT finished the third with a 13-2 rally, and their counterparts could not put together any retaliation as they crumbled under pressure.
(C) PBA Images
Gabe Norwood top-scored for Rain or Shine with 18 points, dropping 14 in the first half alone, but struggled to sustain his form after the break. The 40-year-old guard also had nine rebounds alongside an assist and a steal in 32 minutes.
Andrei Caracut, who’s still nursing a sprained left wrist, collected 16 points on 16 shots with seven assists. Caelan Tiongson made 15 off the bench.
Adrian Nocum added 12 markers but only shot 5-of-17 from the field, no thanks to the Tropang 5G’s defense, most specifically by Brian Heruela.
His injured ankle was good enough to play, and the grizzled playmaker served as an extremely welcome addition to a heavily banged-up backcourt thanks not only to his ability to deny his counterparts but in quarterbacking the offense.
Heruela only scored two points but was a plus-20 in the 30 minutes he played as he chalked up three rebounds, three assists, and four of their six steals.
The Scores:
TNT 108 – Heading 23, Ganuelas-Rosser 22, Oftana 16, Khobuntin 16, Galinato 8, Erram 8, Aurin 7, Vosotros 6, Heruela 2, Nieto 0, Enciso 0, Williams 0.
Rain or Shine 92 – Norwood 18, Caracut 16, Tiongson 15, Nocum 12, Santillan 9, Datu 7, Mamuyac 7, Clarito 4, Malonzo 2, Asistio 2.
Quarterscores: 22-28, 41-47, 80-69, 108-92.
