Magnolia, NorthPort target 3-2 mark
The Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots and NorthPort Batang Pier will try to finish the first round of the double-round eliminations of the PBA Season 49 Governors’ Cup with a 3-2 slate when they face each other on Wednesday, September 4, 7:30 p.m. at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
The winner of the game will be over the 0.500 mark while the defeated team will have a record of 2-3 in Group A. The Hotshots and Batang Pier were grouped with TNT Tropang Giga, Meralco Bolts, Converge FiberXers and Terrafirma Dyip.
After the game, the two teams will be on their way to the 2nd round robin which will start on Saturday, when the Hotshots face the Bolts in Panabo City.
When the second round is over, the top four teams in each group will advance to the crossover quarter finals. The Group B is currently led by Rain or Shine Elasto Painters with 4-0 win-loss record.
Magnolia defeated Terrafirma in their last outing with a 124-103 convincing victory to have the momentum going to their final game of the 1st round while NorthPort failed to the hands of Meralco, 99-109 that’s why they are eager to bounce back and get back to the winning column.
The two teams will once again bank on their local crew who compliment well to their reinforcements.
In their last game, sweet-shooting Jerrick Ahanmisi led the Hotshots with his career-high 24 points including four 4-pointers and two 3-pointers.
On the other side, Arvin Tolentino also exploded for his career-high 51 points in the Batang Pier last win before being limited in their recent game.
Magnolia will continue to trust Glenn Robinson III as their import as he improved in his last game and continued to be consistent in producing the numbers needed for him in his first four games in the PBA, while ‘balik-import’ Venky Jois is expected to produce more for his squad.
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After a close Game 1 of the PBA Season 49 Philippine Cup Finals — marred by the “basket interference” controversy — protagonists San Miguel Beermen and TNT Tropang 5G now focus on winning Game 2.
San Miguel, the winningest franchise in PBA history, will try to tie the series at 1-1 while moving past their opening game loss, which was clouded by the PBA technical committee’s review of Mo Tautuaa’s dunk.
They will once again bank on the dominance of eight-time MVP June Mar Fajardo, along with CJ Perez and the rest of the squad, to get the equalizer.
On the other side, TNT — eyeing the first grand slam in franchise history — will again lean on RR Pogoy, who returned in Game 1 after missing the latter part of the semifinals. Pogoy was named Best Player of the Game after finishing with 24 points, including 3-of-6 shooting from beyond the arc and a perfect 2-of-2 from the four-point line. He even knocked down a buzzer-beater before halftime to give TNT a 61-41 lead after leading just 28-22 at the end of the first quarter.
In that game, SMB tried to erase the 24-point deficit but still trailed by 19 at the end of the third period.
In the fourth and final canto, the Beermen mounted a comeback and even briefly took the lead. There was an exchange of three-pointers between Chris Ross and Pogoy at the end game before a jump ball was called — which then led to the controversial review.
TNT will also continue to rely on the brilliance of Jordan Heading and Calvin Oftana, along with their frontcourt unit of Poy Erram, Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser, and 2007–08 MVP Kelly Williams to contain Fajardo’s impact.
Now that both teams have moved on from their first encounter, the question is: who wants it more heading into Game 2, set later tonight — July 16, 7:30 PM — at the Smart Araneta Coliseum?
The TNT Tropang 5G are back in the Finals—and the grand slam dream is still alive.
TNT powered past the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, 116-95, in Game 6 of their PBA Season 49 Philippine Cup semifinals on Sunday, July 6, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. With the win, they secured their third consecutive Finals appearance and stayed on course for what could be the franchise’s first-ever grand slam.
Jordan Heading led the charge, finishing with 29 points, three rebounds, four assists, and two steals in a statement performance that helped TNT close out the series, 4-2.
Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser added 17 markers, five rebounds, two assists, and three blocks in a complete two-way showing. Glenn Khobuntin posted a double-double of 16 points and 12 rebounds, while Kim Aurin and Calvin Oftana chipped in 13 and 12 points, respectively.
“All we wanted was to give ourselves a chance… these guys—they don’t know the meaning of quit,” said TNT head coach Chot Reyes, recalling the team’s early 0-3 start in the conference and their climb back into title contention.
On the Rain or Shine side, Caelan Tiongson dropped a game-high 30 points alongside six rebounds and an assist. Andrei Caracut and Adrian Nocum contributed 15 and 11, but the Elasto Painters had no answers for TNT’s late surge, especially during a 14-2 blast sparked by Heading and Ganuelas-Rosser in the final frame.
San Miguel Beermen made a statement in Game 4 of the PBA Season 49 Philippine Cup semifinals, against Barangay Ginebra San Miguel, 107-82, on Wednesday night at the Mall of Asia Arena to even the best-of-seven series at 2-2.
CJ Perez spearheaded the charge with a near-complete performance, tallying 19 points, five rebounds, seven assists, a steal, and a block in almost 35 minutes of action. His energy sparked a game-changing 17-0 run in the fourth quarter that broke the game wide open for the Beermen.
Juami Tiongson added 14 points, while June Mar Fajardo turned in another monster game with 12 markers, a game-high 19 boards, three dimes, two deflections, and a rejection.
San Miguel’s well-balanced offense saw five players score in double figures, including Jericho Cruz and Rodney Brondial with 12 apiece, and Don Trollano who chipped in 11.
Game 5 is set for Friday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, with both powerhouse squads looking to seize control of the series and inch closer to a Finals berth.