TNT and NLEX pulled off contrasting victories against separate opponents to seal their spots in the quarterfinals at the end of the PBA Philippine Cup eliminations on Sunday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
Behind the durable duo of Jayson Castro and Kelly Williams, TNT turned back Magnolia, 98-93, while NLEX held its ground in the face of a searing Barangay Ginebra rally for a thrilling 76-72 win.
The win gave both teams similar 6-5 records, but TNT secured the No. 4 seed and will meet fifth seed Rain or Shine. NLEX ended up at no. 6 and will play third seed Meralco in the playoffs.
Both series are best-of-three affairs.
The loss by Ginebra hardly affected its standing as the second-seeded team which owns a twice-to-beat advantage, but Magnolia paid dearly for it as it fell to No. 7 and will need to beat the Kings twice to advance to the semis.
Here are the takeaways in the last playing day of the PH Cup eliminations.
1) Fans are obviously perplexed by what hit Magnolia. A team that was once in contention for the No. 2 seed lost three of its last four outings to finish with a 6-5 record. The Hotshots actually ended up tied with Meralco, TNT, Rain or Shine, and NLEX on similar slates. But what hurt them was their -30 quotient brought about by their embarrassing 74-51 loss against the Bolts. That left them down the standings at No. 7 and an early faceoff with rival Barangay Ginebra Kings. It’s going to be a long journey to the top for a franchise that finished runner-up in the season-opening Commissioner’s Cup.
2) Seasoned players Jayson Castro and Kelly Williams remain valuable pieces for TNT. Their combined efforts helped the Tropang Giga advance to the quarterfinals. The two had 19 and 18 points, respectively, in the all-important win against Magnolia despite nursing injuries. Their fitness will likely determine how far the Tropang Giga will go in their quarters campaign.
3) NLEX was fortunate to survive the searing Barangay Ginebra rally in the fourth period despite being held without a field goal in the final seven minutes. Dave Marcelo scored on a floater with 7:08 left to play that gave the Road Warriors a 73-61 lead. NLEX would score its last three points from the foul line on a split by Baser Amer and two free throws by rookie Richie Rodger in the final three seconds.
4) Ginebra almost toppled NLEX in the endgame despite not playing starters Christian Standhardinger and Scottie Thompson. The 6-foot-8 Fil-German was substituted at the 7:08 mark of the fourth quarter and did not return, while Thompson didn’t even play in the final period after going out with 2:03 remaining in the third. Standhardinger had an all-around game of 19 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists, while Thompson finished with four points, six rebounds, and six assists. Coach Tim Cone opted to have Japeth Aguilar, Maverick Ahanmisi, Stanley Pringle and Ralph Cu on the court, with Von Pessumal and Nards Pinto alternating as the fifth man.
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