TNT picked up the pace in the second half after a cold first two quarters to demolish Rain or Shine, 108-92, in Game 4 of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Philippine Cup semifinals for a commanding 3-1 series lead Wednesday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Jordan Heading dropped 13 of his 23 points in the fourth canto where the Tropang 5G pulled away for good to move within a win from advancing to a third straight finals appearance.
The grand slam-seeking TNT will try to formalize its entry into the championship round in Game 5 on Friday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
“That happened because we gave ourselves an opportunity due to our stops,” Tropang 5G head coach Chot Reyes said after beating the Elasto Painters in an unusually high-scoring output.
“In the end, it was our defense that fueled that offense. As long as we’re able to generate, stops then we get possessions for ourselves to score. We made some adjustments at halftime to counter their defensive schemes.”
Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser held his ground inside the paint in a highly physical game, posting a double-double of 22 points and 11 rebounds for TNT, which lost elder statesman forward Kelly Williams in the second quarter after tweaking his ankle and an injury scare on Calvin Oftana early in the fourth when he sprained his right ankle.
Oftana was able to return and finished with 16 points, seven rebounds and four assists but Williams sat out the rest of the game, adding to TNT injury concerns following RR Pogoy’s hamstring injury that got him sidelined for back-to-back games. The Tropang 5G are already playing sans out for the season Jayson Castro (knee) and Rey Nambatac (groin).
Glenn Khobuntin got 14 of his 16 points in the second half while Poy Erram and Henry Galinato Jr. added eight each for TNT.
The Tropang 5G made a huge run in the third quarter, outscoring the Elasto Painters, 39-22, after trailing by six at halftime to enter the payoff period with an 11-point gap.
Heading nailed two huge triples in TNT’s sustained fourth quarter assault where the Tropang 5G led by as many as 19 after an Erram layup, 95-76, with 7:54 left in the game.
Gabe Norwood had 18 points and nine boards for Rain or Shine. Andrei Caracut finished with 16 points while Caelan Tiongson and Adrian Nocum produced 15 and 12 markers in a lost cause.
The scores:
TNT (108) --- Heading 23, Ganuelas-Rosser 22, Oftana 16, Khobuntin 16, Galinato 8, Erram 8, Aurin 7, Vosotros 6, Heruela 2, Nieto 0, Enciso 0, Williams 0
RAIN OR SHINE (92) --- Norwood 18, Caracut 16, Tiongson 15, Nocum 12, Santillan 9, Datu 7, Mamuyac 7, Clarito 4, Malonzo 2, Asistio 2.
Quarterscores: 22-28, 41-4, 80-69, 108-92