Matt Mobley isn’t about to throw in the towel yet despite the predicament TNT has gotten into following a crucial loss in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup.
The Tropang Giga absorbed a dejecting 140-108 defeat to leader Bay Area on Wednesday. And that puts the ball club in danger of missing the playoffs for the first time in four years – or since the 2018 Governors’ Cup.
TNT fell to 4-7.
No longer in control of their destiny, the flagship MVP Group franchise needs to beat San Miguel in their final elimination round game on Saturday. This way, they can hope for a chance to vie for the eighth and final quarterfinal ticket.
Even amid all this, Mobley remains defiant.
“It’s always hard. Adds a little more pressure for us. But that’s what we’re here for,” he told reporters moments after the match at the Philsports Arena in Pasig. “We’re gonna try to fight through it, and make it happen.”
It clearly isn’t the ideal situation for Cam Oliver’s replacement. But if anything, the 28-year-old showed that he could be a good fit for TNT based on his performance against the guest team from Hong Kong.
Despite arriving in Manila just last Sunday, the 6-foot-4 Mobley dropped 38 points on a 7-of-14 clip from deep. He also had five rebounds and two assists against six turnovers in the 34 minutes and 59 seconds he graced the floor.
“I just wanted to come out here and show what I can do,” said the St. Bonaventure product, who previously played in Germany.
“Still a little jet-lagged from the flight but I kinda worked through that, get my bearings back and do what I do,” he continued.
Surely, he’s expected to do the same – or perhaps, more – in Saturday’s do-or-die encounter against the surging Beermen. But Mobley simply vowed to fight as he also hopes for the team to get a chance for the next round.
“We just want to fight in this last game and see what happens,” said the Massachusetts native. “Hopefully, we can still make the playoffs. We’re just gonna continue to work hard, and see what happens.”
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The second game of each PBA gameday is live-streamed on SMART Sports.
