Rondae Hollis-Jefferson stamped his class as TNT took down a depleted Barangay Ginebra, 104-95, to move just one win away from clinching the PBA Governors’ Cup title, Wednesday night at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
Three nights since his Best Import coronation, the former NBA cager tallied yet another triple-double as he finished 32 points, 16 rebounds, and 10 assists to help the Tropang Giga put the game away in the closing minutes,
He helped facilitate his side’s 8-0 run to finish off the Kings, who got within one twice approaching the final three minutes as Nards Pinto and Scottie Thompson tried to will their team back despite missing the services of Justin Brownlee.
The three-time Best Import left the match during the third quarter as he suffered from food poisoning, leaving the game with 14 points.
“The message at halftime was that they outplayed us in the first half and we need to have a little bit more effort than them,” said coach Jojo Lastimosa.
“I think the guys started to defend really well, executing really well and going back to what we do best,” the seasoned mentor added.
Calvin Oftana continued his solid play as he finished with 20 points on four triples alongside eight rebounds, two assists, and a steal for TNT.
Mikey Williams had 15 points, four rebounds, and three assists, while Glenn Khobuntin and Jayson Castro added 10 markers apiece.
“It was about being focused. The guys knew we need to stay locked in, we need to stay resilient, poised, and we need to be more aggressive,” said ‘RHJ.’
The Tropa as a whole made 12 three-pointers, marking the fourth consecutive time that the team drained over 10 shots from beyond the arc.
And surely, they’re hoping to keep that rhythm in Game 6 on Friday as the flagship MVP franchise looks to bag home the gold.
Christian Standhardinger, meanwhile, finished with 29 points and 13 rebounds to lead the fight for a Ginebra side that got reduced to an all-Filipino lineup.
Pinto had 18 points to tie his conference-high. Thompson had 12-7-6 while Jeremiah Gray added 10 for the Kings, who lost hold of a 15-point lead they established in the second quarter — a rally which Brownlee helped out in.
The Scores:
TNT 104 – Hollis-Jefferson 32, Oftana 20, M.Williams 15, Khobuntin 10, Castro 10, Erram 10, K.Williams 5, Montalbo 2, Marcelo 0.
Ginebra 95 – Standhardinger 29, Pinto 18, Brownlee 14, Thompson 12, Gray 10, Malonzo 6, Pringle 6, J.Aguilar 0, Mariano 0.
Quarterscores: 28-26, 49-61, 81-79, 104-95.
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The 2023 PBA Governors Cup Finals is live-streamed on SMART Sports.
