TNT pulled off a miraculous comeback to deal Meralco a crushing 100-96 defeat to advance to its fourth straight PBA Philippine Cup Finals, Wednesday.
The Tropang 5G were already staring at a 96-91 deficit with 27.9 seconds left to play but the crew showcased grit time and again, with Rey Nambatac and Jordan Heading conniving for undeniably the biggest plays of the night.
Nambatac knocked down a gutsy four-pointer with 20.6 seconds left, before his fellow lefty guard stole the ball away from CJ Cansino right after the Bolts’ baseline inbound to take the 97-96 lead entering the final 15.1 of the match.
The opposition began to crumble afterwards, with the defense predicting that the ball would go to Cansino’s hands and thus got him checked to prevent trailing again before Nambatac widened the gap to three with 6.4 to go.
Another denial at Cansino in the game’s final play ultimately enabled the traditional contenders to complete the fightback and close the series out in five games toward booking the first slot to the Season 50 all-Filipino finale.
