TNT rode the offensive explosions of Jayson Castro, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, and Calvin Oftana then made key stops in the endgame to thwart Rain or Shine, 88-84, in Game 1 of their PBA 49th Season Commissioner’s Cup semifinal on Wednesday.
Castro topscored with 24 points, Hollis-Jefferson contributed 23, and Oftana had 22 including 12 in the second quarter as the Tropang Giga reasserted their mastery of the Elasto Painters at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
TNT preserved its slim lead in the final minutes, thanks to its defense and some costly Rain of Shine turnovers, despite Castro missing the final two minutes of Game One after being called for a flagrant foul penalty one.
Andrei Caracut hit two free throws with 1:59 remaining after the Castro flagrant foul, but that was the last time Rain or Shine scored in the game.
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Poy Erram had two blocks down the stretch on driving attempts by Caelan Tiongson and Jhonard Clarito. In the final offensive play of the match, Caracut’s inbound pass was intercepted by Roger Pogoy.
Castro nailed 6 of 7 from threes to lead TNT in scoring even with Hollis-Jefferson having a relatively sub-par night after converting just 8 of his 27 attempts from the field, although he grabbed 13 rebounds and blocked four shots.
Oftana buried 6 of 8 from downtown even after coming off a stint with Gilas Pilipinas in the last Fiba window, helping stake TNT to a 51-47 lead at halftime.
“Rondae shot really poorly. He didn’t even hit 30 percent of his field goals so it was important that the other guys stepped up. (Rain or Shine) did a really good job defending Rondae. And when that happens, we have to be able to go to our counters,” said TNT coach Chot Reyes.
“Jayson and Calvin were the ones who provided that firepower coming off the bench,” Reyes added.
Deon Thompson had 29 points and 16 rebounds, while Adrian Nocum had 18 points and 11 rebounds for the Elasto Painters, who held the biggest lead of the game at nine, 37-28.
Game Two is scheduled on Friday at the Philsports Arena.
The scores:
TNT 88 – Castro 24, Hollis-Jefferson 23, Oftana 22, Pogoy 9, Nambatac 4, Williams 2, Aurin 2, Erram 2, Khobuntin 0, Heruela 0, Galinato 0.
Rain or Shine 84 – Thompson 29, Nocum 18, Datu 9, Clarito 6, Mamuyac 4, Caracut 3, Tiongson 3, Lemetti 3, Asistio 3, Norwood 0.
Quarters: 22-28; 51-47; 74-70; 88-84.
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