ANTIPOLO – Calvin Oftana returned to TNT on Friday in a big way after being under the league’s health protocols.
Oftana had 12 of his 14 points in the first half, helping the Tropang Giga gain some distance before prevailing in the endgame over Magnolia, 93-85. He also grabbed 10 rebounds in a double-double effort.
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TNT head coach Jojo Lastimosa said Oftana was a big factor in the bounce-back win after a tough outing against NLEX where they squandered a 15-point lead to go down 110-108.
“Calvin was a huge help tonight. Puwede niyong sabihin na if Calvin would have been there last game [we could have won],” said Lastimosa during the postgame press conference.
The former San Beda cager missed the game against Rain or Shine on Jan. 27. But Lastimosa said Oftana was actually available for that Wednesday contest against NLEX but he opted not to put him in.
“I was tempted to actually put him in that game. Hindi siya nag-practice buong week sa amin. It’s unfair to the guys na nag-practice tapos si Calvin, hindi, although it’s not a fault of his,” said Lastimosa.
Oftana’s first half performance enabled TNT to grab a 52-39 lead before Roger Pogoy and the rest of his teammates picked up the slack en route to the win.
“Calvin was a big help. You can see the difference in Calvin. His shooting, his rebounding, his defense. He is actually a bigger version of Roger (Pogoy),” said Lastimosa.
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