A complete Hong Kong Eastern squad flexed its might by obliterating the debuting TNT, 105-84, in a dominant bounce-back victory in the PBA Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup on Friday night at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
Hardly affected by the traffic jam that delayed their arrival in the venue, the guest team came out strong after a 47-all knot at the half before breaking away wide in the final chapter on the way to chalking up their third win in four games.
“Yes, it was a big problem. We were already taping and dressing in the bus. Because we didn’t predict well the time we needed. Now, we know Manila very well,” said head coach Mensur Bajramovic with a smile.
It was a solid statement from the visitors as they showed how formidable they could be especially with a full lineup, something they didn’t have against Rain or Shine that ultimately led to their first loss after a 2-0 start into the conference.
Glen Yang was back in the fold after sorting out his passport problems and his return gave the team an added weapon, especially on the backcourt, which their Tropang Giga counterparts found difficult to cover defensively.
“Glen plays a big impact in our game, especially because he has experience in the PBA,” said Bajramovic. “We missed him a lot last game.”
Yang finished with 19 points, six rebounds, and eight assists as his elite playmaking allowed the others to play more comfortably in their positions.
A best example of this was Ramon Cao as the agile 6-foot-8 forward scored 12 of his 17 points in the third alone to help his side seize control of the match. All in all, he shot 45.5-percent from the floor, including a 2-of-3 clip from three.
“He’s my right-hand man on the court,” said Bajramovic as his lead point guard was mainly responsible for the 22 assists they collected as a whole.
Cameron Clark top-scored for Hong Kong with 36 points and 14 rebounds, together with three assists and a block against zero turnovers.
Hayden Blankley turned in a double-double as well with 24 points and 10 rebounds, finding redemption after a seven-point showing the last time out against the Elasto Painters, where he only shot 1-of-15 from the field.
“We didn’t play well against Rain or Shine. All of us were mad after the game. So we analyzed, watched videos and figured out what exactly was the problem,” said Bajramovic, whose team shot 50-percent of its field goals.
“Our defense wasn’t on the level we’re expecting. And tonight, we actually did against a very good team,” the Bosnian mentor added.
Their defense did compound on TNT’s woes as the reigning two-time Governors’ Cup champions had to fight through without Poy Erram.
The 6-foot-8 center was ejected barely five minutes into the ball game for a flagrant foul penalty two (F2) infraction after hitting the face of Yang.
Without a reliable man in the middle, the Tropa suffered, allowing Eastern to have their way as they confused the defense through their ball movement.
“Main reason why we controlled this game was we rotated well on defense, we switched well. And offensively, ball movement was much, much better than last game,” Bajramovic said. “I think if we continue like this, we have a chance.”
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson carried the offense for TNT with 33 points, 24 of which he made in the first half, and seven rebounds in a rough start to the tilt.
Kim Aurin was the only other double-digit scorer with 12 points as Coach Chot Reyes basically waved the white flag midway into the fourth.
The Scores:
Hong Kong Eastern 105 – Clark 36, Blankley 24, Yang 19, Cao 17, Lam 3, Cheung 3, Xu 2, Zhu 1, Sulaiman 0, Chan 0, Guinchard 0.
TNT 84 – Hollis-Jefferson 33, Aurin 12, Pogoy 9, Oftana 7, Khobuntin 4, Ebona 4, Erram 4, Exciminiano 4, Galinato 3, Razon 2, Nambatac 2, Heruela 0, Varilla 0, Payawal 0.
Quarterscores: 21-22, 47-47, 73-63, 105-84.
