TNT vented its frustrations on NorthPort, 117-93, for its first win of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup, Saturday night at the Philsports Arena in Pasig.
Roger Pogoy kick-started the dominant victory with a perfect first half, and Cam Oliver put on a show in the ensuing half as the Tropang Giga found redemption from the tight defeat they suffered from Magnolia last Wednesday.
“We want the ball moving around, a lot more people getting opportunities. And then they just know how to get the ball to the hot guy. In the first half, they knew Roger was hot,” offered head coach Chot Reyes.
“Credit to his teammates, everyone was really looking for Roger, even Cam. You can notice he was sacrificing his shots making sure that Roger gets his shots.”
Pogoy finished with a game-high 32 points, 26 of which he made in the first half alone that saw him shoot a perfect 10-of-10 from the field — including 6-for-6 from beyond the arc — as his side established a 58-44 lead at the break.
Pogoy overall shot 85-percent from the floor, going 8-for-9 from deep, He also collected three rebounds, an assist, and a steal in 28 minutes.
“Aggressive lang ako this game kasi ang sakit ng pagkatalo namin last game. Sa team naman namin, kung sino lang yung open, siya yung titira. Siguro ako lang talaga yung masyadong maraming open,” he said.
Oliver, for his part, tallied 20 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists as the former NBA cager inflicted much of the damage in the second half, where TNT went on to enjoy a lead as big as 33 points, 97-64, early in the fourth.
“We’ve always told Cam that we’re getting him for his all-around game, not only his ability to score, but his defensive and rebounding abilities as well,” Reyes said. “Hopefully, we find a better balance for Cam.”
The win also served as a fitting welcome for the returning Poy Erram and Mikey Williams. The 6-foot-8 center served a one-game suspension last match, while the reigning scoring king just got back from an ankle injury.
Williams scored 19 points, on top of seven rebounds and six assists to help out a TNT side that still misses Jayson Castro, as well as Ryan Reyes, Glenn Khobuntin, Brian Heruela, and new acquisition Raul Soyud to injuries.
“We know that, for sure, we’re not gonna have Ryan and Glenn Khobuntin for a while and Soyud; we’re waiting on when Heruela can start practicing full contact with us. But Jayson is really a day-to-day proposition for now,” Reyes said.
TNT will look to build a streak against Rain or Shine next Saturday, October 15, at 6:45 p.m. at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
Meanwhile, Arvin Tolentino led NorthPort with 19 points as the crew could not replicate its comeback against Meralco last week that saw Robert Bolick strap them on his broad shoulders with a career-high 44 points.
Bolick was far from the form he showed against the Bolts as TNT only allowed him to finish with only 14 points on 12 attempts.
Import Prince Ibeh had 18 points and 12 rebounds for the Batang Pier, who absorbed their second loss in four outings.
NorthPort will face Blackwater next on Wednesday, October 12, 3 p.m. at the Big Dome in the first encounter between coaches Pido Jarencio and Ariel Vanguardia since their endgame spat in the 2022 Philippine Cup eliminations.
The Scores:
TNT 117 – Pogoy 32, Oliver 20, M.Williams 19, Tungcab 9, Erram 8, Montalbo 8, Cruz 7, K.Williams 6, Oftana 4, Ganuelas-Rosser 4, Marcelo 0, Alejandro 0.
NorthPort 93 – Tolentino 19, Ibeh 18, Bolick 14, Chan 9, Ferrer 8, Santos 7, Balanza 4, Salado 4, Sumang 4, Taha 2, Calma 2, Caperal 2, Ayaay 0.
Quarterscores: 25-24, 58-44, 87-62, 117-93.
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The second game of each PBA gameday is live-streamed on SMART Sports.
