TNT leaned on its hot shooting from beyond the arc early to beat Barangay Ginebra, 95-89, and gain the head start in the PBA Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup Finals, Friday night at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay.
The Tropang Giga nailed eight of their 14 threes in the first quarter to establish a 29-18 lead and that put them ahead the rest of the way, ultimately enabling the crew to chalk up the 1-0 advantage in the best-of-7 series.
“The key is for us to get good shots, as long as we keep on consistently getting good shots,” said head coach Chot Reyes. “Some will fall, some will not, but at least the entire objective of our offense is to get good shots.”
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson led the way with 34 points, 13 rebounds, and eight assists in all 48 minutes as he was crucial in allowing his side to build a big lead during the second quarter — and in maintaining order down the stretch.
The two-time Best Import scored 23 in the first half to help Roger Pogoy and the crew sustain their hot start before coming through entering the closing minutes to make sure that Justin Brownlee and the Kings won’t garner any momentum.
He nailed tough fadeaway jumpers in back-to-back fashion, handing out apt responses when ‘JB’ pulled his side to within eight twice inside the final 6:01 — that, after the crowd darlings trailed by as many as 18 points.
The Kings did manage to get as close as four, 93-89, behind RJ Abarrientos’ four-pointer but RHJ’s free throws with 2.2 seconds left all but sealed the W.
“They made a big run but our players kept their composure,” said Reyes. “And the rest was just our defense forcing them to take difficult shots.”
Pogoy finished with 15 points, all of which he collected from three-point distance. He nailed his first three triples in consecutive fashion in the opening period to give themselves the 20-16 advantage with less than four minutes left.
Calvin Oftana flirted with a double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds while Rey Nambatac added 10 points as well off the bench.
Game 2 is on Sunday, March 16, 7:30 p,m. still in the same venue, with TNT, of course, hoping to erect a 2-0 advantage in the race-to-4 affair.
Brownlee, on the other hand, led Ginebra with 28 points, 15 rebounds, and six assists, barely getting any rest as he played for nearly 45 minutes,
Scottie Thompson notched 17 points and 13 rebounds with seven assists while Abarrientos chipped in 13 markers on 10 shots in the defeat.
The Scores:
TNT 95 – Hollis-Jefferson 34, Pogoy 15, Oftana 10, Nambatac 10, Williams 8, Khobuntin 8, Erram 5, Aurin 5, Heruela 0, Razon 0.
Ginebra 89 – Brownlee 28, Thompson 17, Abarrientos 13, Holt 9, J.Aguilar 9, Rosario 8, Gray 3, Malonzo 2, Ahanmisi 0
Quarterscores: 29-18, 55-39, 80-66, 95-89.
#WATCH: Chot Reyes commends Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and TNT for staying composed under Ginebra’s pressure in their Game 1 victory! 🏀
📹 @justinebacnis /Tiebreaker Times#PBA2025 pic.twitter.com/tQAreAMlhS
— Tiebreaker Times (@tiebreakertimes) March 14, 2025
