TNT assumes solo lead in Group A after defeating Meralco
Oftana drained six triples as TNT continued mastery over Meralco
Calvin Oftana scored a team-high 25 points, while Kelly Williams and Jayson Castro provided veteran-smarts in TNT Tropang Giga’s 108-99 win over Meralco on Thursday night in the PBA Season 49 Governors’ Cup held at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
The trio powered the Tropang Giga from a mere 100-97 lead into a more comfortable 106-97 cushion with 50 seconds of play remaining.
Oftana’s 25 points (eight in the fourth quarter) included sinking six three-pointers, grabbing 7 rebounds and dishing off three assists.
TNT import Rondae Hollis-Jefferson also helped out by producing 22 points, seven rebounds, and nine assists.
Jayson Castro contributed 12 markers, four boards and four dimes, while Kelly Williams scored nine points in his 15:45 playing time, and did his usual job in the defensive end.
"I thought we got great contributions defensively from Kelly Williams off the bench, I thought he was big," said TNT head coach Chot Reyes. "We knew Allen Durham was going to go out and attack us after his so-so performance in our first game against them. So it was important we had Kelly as secondary defender tonight."
True enough, Durham, who only scored eight points in their first meeting, came out better this time by producing game-high 26 points and grabbing 11 rebounds.
Chris Newsome paced the Bolts local with 23, while Bong Quinto and CJ Cansino contributed 12 each, and Chris Banchero added 10.
The scores:
TNT 108 – Oftana 25, Hollis-Jefferson 22, Aurin 16, Castro 12, Erram 11, Williams 9, Pogoy 9, Nambatac 4, Heruela 0, Khobuntin 0.
MERALCO 99 – Durham 26, Newsome 23, Cansino 12, Quinto 12, Banchero 10, Caram 8, Pasaol 4, Rios 4, Bates 0, Pascual 0, Jose 0, Mendoza 0.
Quarters: 32-20; 49-44; 78-67; 108-99.
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Jimmy Butler and Stephen Curry combined for 75 points to lead the Warriors to victory.
Butler had a game-high 38 points along with seven rebounds, six assists, and three steals. Curry followed with 37 markers, knocking down 6-of-13 from beyond the arc—including two crucial treys in the closing minutes, one near the corner and another after a triple pump fake that thrilled the home crowd. He added eight rebounds, four assists, and one steal.
Gary Payton II and Quentin Post added 12 and 11 points, respectively. Draymond Green dished out a game-high 10 assists while also contributing four points, six rebounds, three steals, and a block before fouling out with 58.6 seconds left in the game.
The Orlando Magic opened the 2024–25 NBA Play-In Tournament with a bang, dismantling the Atlanta Hawks, 120–95, on Wednesday morning, April 16, (Philippine time) at the Kia Center in Orlando.
From the get-go, the Magic set the tone, dominating the first quarter, 32–17. They dropped the second by just a point but still carried a 61–47 lead into halftime.
The Hawks responded in the third canto with a 26–18 run to trim the deficit to just six, 79–73.
Come the fourth and final period, the Magic turned up the heat again, outscoring Atlanta 41–22 to secure the 25-point victory.
Cole Anthony led the charge off the bench with 26 points on 4-of-9 shooting from beyond the arc. He also added three rebounds and five assists.
Wendell Carter Jr. anchored the starting unit with 19 markers, seven boards, and two dimes, while Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner filled up the stat sheets despite their struggles from long range, going a combined 0-of-8 from downtown.
Banchero posted a near triple-double with 17 points, nine rebounds, seven assists, one steal, and one block. Wagner followed with a gritty double-double of 13 markers and 13 boards, along with three dimes, two swipes, and one rejection.
On April 20 (Philippine time), the NBA postseason officially tips off, with 16 teams vying for the coveted 2024–25 NBA Championship.
But before the Playoffs begin, four remaining spots are still up for grabs through the Play-In Tournament.
In the Western Conference, the No. 9 seed Sacramento Kings will take on the No. 10 seed Dallas Mavericks, while the No. 7 seed Golden State Warriors will battle the No. 8 seed Memphis Grizzlies.
The winner of the 9-vs-10 matchup will then face the loser of the 7-vs-8 game for the right to claim the No. 8 seed in the Playoffs, earning a showdown with the No. 1 seed Oklahoma City Thunder.
Meanwhile, the loser of the 9-vs-10 game will be eliminated from contention, while the winner of the 7-vs-8 clash will secure the No. 7 seed and go on to face the No. 2 seed Houston Rockets.
Other first-round matchups in the Western Conference include:
(4) Denver Nuggets vs. (5) LA Clippers
(3) LA Lakers vs. (6) Minnesota Timberwolves
In the Eastern Conference, the Play-In pairings are:
(9) Chicago Bulls vs. (10) Miami Heat
(7) Orlando Magic vs. (8) Atlanta Hawks
The same Play-In format applies: the 9-10 winner plays the 7-8 loser for the final playoff spot. The winner of the 7-8 game becomes the No. 7 seed and will face the No. 2 seed and defending champions, Boston Celtics. The team that claims the No. 8 seed will go up against the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers.