ANTIPOLO – Jojo Lastimosa doesn’t think it was intentional on the part of Rondae Hollis-Jefferson to throw the ball at Mike Nieto in a play that led to his ejection in the second half of the TNT-Converge game on Saturday night.
The TNT coach said the Tropang Giga are responsible enough not to do such crazy stuff in a game as important as this one.
READ: Castro saves day as TNT endures RHJ ejection to beat Converge in overtime
“Why would he? Importante masyado yung game for us,” said Lastimosa of Hollis-Jefferson, who was playing his first game with the Tropang Giga in the season-opening conference after recovering from a bout with gastroenteritis.
The 28-year-old import was ejected just 42 seconds into the third period when he accidentally threw the ball on the path of Nieto after scoring on an emphatic dunk that gave TNT a 58-41 lead.
READ: Rondae Hollis Jefferson ejected for throwing ball at Mike Nieto
Lastimosa claimed the ball slipped from the hands of Hollis-Jefferson when he tried to grab it following the dunk, eventually hitting the Converge guard in the head.
Game officials deemed it as flagrant foul penalty 2 for an outright ejection.
“That’s how the officials saw it. But it was sad that flagrant 2 ‘yung import ninyo just like that,” said Lastimosa. “Bakit naman niya gagawin with intent yun? So yun lang ang question ko dun.”
But the TNT coach wasn’t complaining.
Asked about the physicality of the Converge defenders against Hollis-Jefferson, Lastimosa replied emphatically, ‘No comment.’
But even without Hollis-Jefferson, who finished with 14 points, 11 rebounds, and three assists, the Tropang Giga battled on.
Though they lost an 18-point lead and were dragged into overtime, the Tropang Giga held on for a 101-98 win behind the heroics of Jason Castro, Jewel Ponferada, Brian Heruela, and Kelly Williams.
“I was hearing him in the huddle that he’s not going to allow these guys to lose tonight. So was Kelly,” said Lastimosa of his two senior players. “So that’s the kind of vets we have here at TNT, na kung kailangan talaga, may second and third wind sila Jason.”
It was the first win in two outings for TNT, which is Taipei-bound this week as it goes up against host Taipei Fubon Braves in the EASL on Wednesday.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
