It was Meralco’s game to lose, but TNT’s flair for the dramatic proved to be the difference, pulling off a miraculous comeback for the 100-96 win to reach the PBA Philippine Cup Finals, Wednesday at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
The Tropang 5G were staring at a 96-91 deficit with 27.9 seconds left to play, but the crew leaned on grit yet again. And the basketball gods rewarded their efforts in the form of a fourth straight trip to the Big Dance.
Rey Nambatac knocked down a gutsy four-pointer with 20.6 seconds left. Then Jordan Heading stole the ball away from CJ Cansino 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. The defense predicted that the ball would go to Cansino’s hands, and Calvin Oftana would block his lip to prevent trailing again. Nambatac then widened the gap to three with 6.4 to go.
The star winger again denied Cansino in the game’s final play, enabling the contenders to complete the fightback. They closed the series out in five games while booking the first ticket to the best-of-7 title bout
(C) PBA Images
“I always preach the mantra of ‘Never give up’,” said Coach Chot Reyes. “Even when we were five points down in the huddle, the players kept saying: ‘Kaya pa ‘yan, kaya pa ‘yan.’ So there was a lot of positive energy in the huddle.”
Heading top-scored for TNT with 31 points, four rebounds, and five assists. Nambatac delivered 25 points, four boards, and the same number of dimes.
Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser made 12 points and five blocks, while Oftana chipped in 10 points, six rebounds, and three assists. He also overcame a subpar shooting night by showcasing his defensive wares in the crucial moments.
Put to naught by the heartbreaking loss was the career-high 36 by Cansino, who took the scoring cudgels for Meralco, especially in the fourth. He scored 17 of his points in the said period in an attempt to extend the series to Game 6.
(C) PBA Images
The sophomore wing was responsible for pushing their lead to 95-91 with 40 seconds remaining through a tough jumper against Simon Enciso.
Cliff Hodge would go on to push the lead to five with a split with 27.9 seconds to spare, as the team fought back after trailing 4-19 early into the game following a 17-0 run by their rivals.
But Nambatac and Heading happened, leading to one of the most exciting comebacks by a team in the league’s golden season.
Aaron Black had 17 points as he was the only other player in double figures for a team that once again missed Chris Newsome due to an MCL sprain.
Now, Meralco is headed for an early vacation, while TNT will wait for the winner between Ginebra and San Miguel for their opponents in the Finals.
The Scores:
TNT 99 – Heading 31, Nambatac 25, Ganuelas-Rosser 12, Oftana 10, Erram 6, Enciso 5, Galinato 4, Jalalon 4, Williams 2, Ferrer 0, Khobuntin 0, Aurin 0.
Meralco 96 – Cansino 36, Black 17, Rios 9, Banchero 8, Quinto 7, Jose 6, Hodge 6, Bates 4, Comia 3, Reyson 0, Almazan 0, Caram 0.
Quarterscores: 30-20, 46-50, 75-72, 99-96.
#WATCH: MERALCO IS A HELL OF A TEAM 🏀
Humble in victory, Chot Reyes admits Meralco gave his TnT a good fight in their #PBA50 semis series#ReadMore 👉 https://t.co/V2TYTORMFn
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— Tiebreaker Times (@tiebreakertimes) January 14, 2026
