Dogfight looms as TNT faces Magnolia

TNT braces for a dogfight when it meets Magnolia in an explosive quarterfinals match in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Season 50 Philippine Cup on Saturday.

Already up one game in a virtual best-of-three series after claiming the twice-to-beat incentive in their elimination round clash last Sunday, the Tropang 5G expect the Hotshots to come in charging aggressively to force a do-or-die.

Magnolia will not only try to score a payback from their first meeting but also seek to return the favor to the same team that eliminated the franchise in last season’s all-Filipino conference quarters.

TNT beat the then-playoffs incentive-toting Hotshots in two games — both won by a single point — on its way to a runner-up finish.

Tropang 5G head coach Chot Reyes, however, is not looking at past results but acknowledges that Magnolia is going to be a motivated team come game time at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.   

“We don’t think about that anymore. It’s been a long time since I forgot the last conference,” Reyes said after TNT spoiled Hotshots playing coach LA Tenorio’s debut in a 94-83 decision to claim third-seeding.

“For us now, it’s just this next game. This next 48 minutes, we have to prepare,” he added.

Magnolia will be fighting for dear life to extend the quarters and get another crack at advancing into the best-of-seven semifinals for the first time since a runner-up finish in the 2023-2024 Commissioner’s Cup.  

“We know how hard they’re going to come at us. And, like I said, it takes a lot. It takes our best to be able to even compete with a team as deep and talented as that Magnolia team,” Reyes said.