Bruised butstill fighting

Game today:

(Mall of Asia Arena)

7:30 p.m. — San Miguel vs TNT

TNT’s grand slam bid turns bleaker by the day.

Compounding injury woes and sudden meltdowns caused by an atrocious number of turnovers have cost the Tropang 5G the last two games, pulling them behind San Miguel Beer in the best-of-seven Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Philippine Cup finals series after three meetings.

Now TNT faces a tall order of leveling the championship showdown and preventing the Beermen from gaining more ground in the pivotal Game 4 as action shifts to the Mall of Asia Arena today.

The Tropang 5G sans big man Poy Erram were beaten black and blue by rampaging center June Mar Fajardo and San Miguel, 88-108, last Friday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, which got them trailing the series, 1-2.

Erram, who sustained a high ankle injury in Game 2, is expected to remain sidelined, leaving TNT without an extra body to defend Fajardo.

But there’s no quitting in the defiant Tropang 5G and head coach Chot Reyes.

They’ll be ready to give the Beermen a tougher resistance in the 7:30 p.m. match.

“We just take it as it is. We have to find a way and tell the players to keep fighting. It was too much to ask to win against a super-powerful team like San Miguel with a complete team. What more now that we’re depleted?” Reyes said.

“But we are going to keep fighting, and see what happens.”

Even without Erram, TNT still managed to give San Miguel a scare after trimming an 18-point third quarter deficit to just seven in the final period when it held the Beermen scoreless in the first five minutes.

Then the Tropang 5G shot themselves in the foot with a string of errors that San Miguel capitalized on in an 18-5 closing run.

TNT gave away 32 turnover points off 18 miscues, a by-product of the team missing point guards Jayson Castro and Rey Nambatac to season-ending knee and groin injuries, respectively, and three-time Best Import Rondae Hollis-Jefferson ineligible in the all-local tourney.

“We don’t have our top two point guards. That’s a direct reflection of that. In fact, we lost our three-point guards because in the first two tournaments, Rondae was playing point. We’ve lost our three point guards,” Reyes said.

Seeing how a depleted TNT collapses against a pesky defensive scheme, Beermen head coach Leo Austria is sure to employ the same tactic to draw closer to the coveted title.

“There’s a lot of energy. And that’s the reason why our opponent committed a lot of turnovers,” he said.

“Imagine, 32 turnover points and that is because of the energy and intensity. And that is aggressiveness.”

Fajardo will again use his size advantage to wreak havoc underneath following a personal conference-best 33 points in Game 3.

Chris Ross, Jericho Cruz, CJ Perez, Don Trollano and Mo Tautuaa will provide support for Fajardo against TNT, leaning on the willpower of an already exhausted and aching crew bannered by RR Pogoy, Calvin Oftana, Kelly Williams, Jordan Heading, Almond Vosotros and Glenn Khobuntin.