RONDAE Hollis-Jefferson produced 37 points to lift TNT to a 96-84 win over Barangay Ginebra and a 2-0 lead in the PBA 49th Season Governors’ Cup Finals on Wednesday night at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
Hollis-Jefferson unleashed his full offensive arsenal on the Kings, making a PBA career-high six threes in a no-relief appearance and nearly doubling his Game One output of 19 that was his lowest in this conference’s playoffs.
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The TNT import also got plenty of help from Jayson Castro, Rey Nambatac, RR Pogoy and Calvin Oftana as the Tropang Giga moved closer to a Governors’ Cup title repeat with a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven finals.
Game Three will be played on All Saints Day, also at the Big Dome.
Aside from scoring, Hollis-Jefferson also supplied TNT with 13 rebounds, seven assists, one steal, and one block in another all-around effort.
Oftana had 13 points and 14 rebounds, while Glenn Khobuntin was also a revelation as he had 13 points on 4-of-4 shooting from the field.
Castro showed his experience once again in the big stage, making nine points and seven assists. Pogoy also had nine points and five rebounds for the Tropang Giga.
With Hollis-Jefferson catching fire, TNT also made 14 threes in the contest, continuing its consistency in hitting the outside attempts.
“That’s our game. We take what the opportunities are in front of us. If they play us a certain way, then we take the penetration and drive. If they cover that, we make sure that we take the next best open shot,” TNT coach Chot Reyes said about their offensive game.
Justin Brownlee had 19 points and nine rebounds, but was quiet once again from the outside. He missed all his three outside shots, two from threes.
Scottie Thompson had 18 points and nine rebounds, while Stephen Holt and Japeth Aguilar had 11 points each for the Gin Kings, who started with a 21-11 lead but couldn’t sustain the the momentum.
It was a close ballgame entering the fourth until TNT opened with an 11-4 run, two of which on threes coming from Castro and Pogoy, and a three-point play by Hollis-Jefferson.
The TNT reinforcement sank his final three in the 3:13 mark of the game, nailing the shot from the left side that got them ahead, 91-81.
The scores:
TNT 96 – Hollis-Jefferson 37, Oftana 13, Khobuntin 13, Castro 9, Pogoy 9, Nambatac 6, Erram 4, Williams 3, Aurin 2.
Barangay Ginebra 84 – Brownlee 19, Thompson 18, Holt 11, J. Aguilar 11, Abarrientos 7, Ahanmisi 7, Cu 7, Pinto 4.
Quarters: 19-23; 49-41; 72-71; 96-84.
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