TNT Tropang 5G rued its missed opportunities down the stretch that led to an 86-93 loss to Barangay Ginebra in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Commissioner’s Cup at the Mall of Asia Arena last Sunday.

Tropang 5G assistant coach Sandy Arespacochaga regretted their setback, saying that it all boiled down to not making their shots when it mattered most.

Bol Bol, who led the defending champions with 33 points and 10 rebounds, was seen dejected as he was leaving the venue before saying that “they basically told me they didn’t wanna win the game.”

But for Arespacochaga, it was simply the breaks of the game that denied them the crucial victory.

“Well, we missed a couple of open outside shots — four-pointers — and they hit their shots towards the end. We had a couple of opportunities that we didn’t capitalize on,” said Arespacochaga, speaking on behalf of TNT coach Chot Reyes.

“We missed a couple of free throws and had a fastbreak opportunity that we weren’t able to score on. So that was a waste on our end and, of course, they hit some big shots in the end also.”

The Tropang 5G finished the eliminations at the eighth spot with a 6-6 win-loss record. They will fight for their dear lives when the clash with No. 1 seed NLEX, which holds a twice-to-beat advantage, on Wednesday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

The defending champions have a slight edge over the Road Warriors following a 103-97 victory last 22 March.

The Tropang 5G face a difficult road if they hope to win back-to-back Commissioner’s Cup titles and become the first squad to emerge as champion despite starting from the bottom of the quarterfinal bracket.

If TNT pulls off an upset against NLEX, it will face the winner between Magnolia and Meralco in a best-of-seven semifinals series.

The Tropang 5G lost to the Bolts, 106-110, in the elimination round last 7 April and suffered a 94-106 defeat to the Hotshots last Tuesday. A potential rematch with Ginebra, however, could happen if TNT makes it all the way to the finals.

But first, the Tropang 5G must beat the Road Warriors to force a rubber match on Saturday at the Ynares Center.

Arespacochaga said they need their locals to step up instead of relying heavily on Bol on the offensive end.

“We’ve got to have more people playing better games. Today, you can’t say Bol had a lot of attempts, and even his minutes were not that long,” said Arespacochaga, noting that Calvin Oftana was the only local player to reach double figures with 11 points.

“The locals had a lot of minutes, so hopefully we can get them involved and going. Hopefully, everything will click for us in the quarterfinals.”