FOUR more teams made their PBA season debut on Tuesday night with Rain or Shine and TNT scoring contrasting wins at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Elasto Painters picked up from where they left off during the Kadayawan Festival in Davao with a 110-97 demolition of Blackwater Bossing, while the Tropang Giga welcomed back import Rondae Hollis Jefferson with a 101-95 win over a tough-fighting Northport Batang Pier side.
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Both Rain or Shine and TNT now join opening day winner Meralco on top of the Governors’ Cup standings.
Here are some takeaways in the rare Tuesday night doubleheader.
1. RAIN OR SHINE ROOKIES SHINE – New faces Caelan Tiongson and Felix Lemetti didn’t take long to introduce themselves to the league as they played major minutes and did some damage in the team’s win over the Bossing. The 32-year-old Tiongson, picked No. 7 overall in the draft, finished with 15 points on 5-of-10 shooting, while Lemetti, the No. 8 overall pick, was 3-of-5 from three-point range for 11 points. Their showing obviously had coach Yeng Guiao grinning from ear to ear after the game.
2. HOLLIS-JEFFERSON HARDLY MISSES A BEAT – the reigning Governors Cup Best Import showed he’s ready to take the Tropang Giga to the top anew after leading the team past the Batang Pier. The former NBA first-round pick netted 32 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists in an all-around game he highlighted with a left-handed jam over Arvin Tolentino. The 29-year-old import was a last-minute replacement for the young Darius Days and coming fresh from a stint in Puerto Rico where his team Mets De Guaynabo was eliminated earlier. RHJ also said he’s currently in top shape unlike in his last stint with the Tropang Giga in the Commissioner’s Cup where he failed to finish the campaign after suffering a neck injury.
3. OFTANA MAKES CASE FOR 4-POINT SHOT HISTORY – Chris Banchero became the first player in PBA history to make a basket from the novelty 4-point arc right on opening day. But Oftana was quick to likewise enter his name in league annals as the first one to hit two from beyond the 27-foot line. The Gilas Pilipinas gunner did the feat in the first half of the TNT-Northport game. He finished with 15 points on a perfect 2-of-2 shooting from 4-point range.
4. NOT THE START BAREFIELD/LEDO WANTED – No. 2 overall pick Sedrick Barefield and Ricky Ledo had a rather inauspicious league debut following the Blackwater loss. Barefield led the Bossing with 18 points but was 8-of-20 overall from the field. Ledo actually, was the one who struggled for the entire game, going 0-11 from the floor in the first half. The import went on to finish with 12 points on 4-of-23 shooting, while adding eight rebounds as the former NBA player was outclassed by Rain or Shine counterpart Aaron Fuller, who had a solid 24-point, 19-rebound game.
5. JOHNS MISSED OUT ON A TD – Overshadowed in Northport’s loss was the near triple-double of import Taylor Maurice Johns, who had 36 points, 16 rebounds, and nine assists as he more than held his own against the talented Hollis-Jefferson. Hovweverm he committed five of Northport’s total of 20 turnovers.
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