BOBBY Ray Parks carried TNT on his shoulders at the most critical time, leading the Tropang Giga to a thrilling 102-101 win over Phoenix, 102-101, on Wednesday night that forced a sudden death Game Give in the PBA Philippine Cup semifinal series at the Angeles University Foundation Sports Arena and Cultural Center.
Parks buried one clutch shot after another to finish with a game-high 36 points. The son of legendary import Bobby Parks scored 17 of his team's last 21 points as the Tropang Giga held off a never-say-die Phoenix side and staved off elimination in the league's only conference in its pandemic season,
The result set up a doubleheader of Game Fives on Friday, with the TNT-Phoenix clash set at 3:45 p.m. and the Meralco-Barangay Ginebra showdown at 6:30 p.m.
Parks took over after Phoenix came within six, 81-75, in a fourth quarter that turned into a battle of attrition. He hit a tough lay-up over Justin Chua that increased TNT’s lead to 98-92 with 1:09 left then added two free throws to keep the gap.
Parks went 10-for-16 from the floor, including 5-for-8 from three-point land. He also had six rebounds, three assists and two steals in a near-no relief performance.
As a team, the Tropang Giga hit 18 three-pointers against the 14 of Phoenix.
Jayson Castro also played a big role in the win, scoring 21 points in a starting role, while RR Pogoy and Simon Enciso had 18 and 14 points respectively while burying four three-pointers each.
An unsung hero was veteran Jay Washington, who had six points, five rebounds, and three blocks in 31 minutes of play.
Matthew Wright scored 34 points on 7-for-10 shooting from three-point range, but Phoenix was hurt by its 27 turnovers.
Jason Perkins added 19 points behind a 3-of-4 shooting from three-point distance while Calvin Abueva had a double-double of 17 points and 13 rebounds, but had eight turnovers to his name.
The scores:
TNT 102 – Parks 36, Castro 21, Pogoy 18, Enciso 14, Washington 6, Erram 4, Montalbo 3, De Leon 0, Reyes 0, Semerad 0, Rosario 0, Vosotros 0.
Phoenix Super LPG 101 – Wright 34, Perkins 19, Abueva 17, Jazul 11, Chua 10, Garcia 4, Rios 4, Heruela 2, Reyes 0, Intal 0, Mallari 0, Napoles 0.
Quarters: 21-12; 48-38; 69-68; 102-101.
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