TNT draws first blood in the Finals trilogy against Ginebra
TNT Tropang Giga held off Barangay Ginebra in the final minutes to secure a hard-fought 95-89 victory in Game 1 of the PBA Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup Finals on Friday night, March 14, at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson led the charge for TNT with his usual all-around performance, nearly posting a triple-double with 34 points, 13 rebounds, and eight assists.
Supporting him was RR Pogoy, who tallied 15 points on an efficient 5-of-10 shooting from beyond the arc. Calvin Oftana and Rey Nambatac added 10 apiece, with both knocking down a pair of three-pointers.
TNT capitalized on its outside shooting, draining 14 three-pointers—double Ginebra’s total of seven—providing the edge needed to fend off the Gin Kings' late-game rally.
"We knew Ginebra will make a run (in the second half) so we reminded the players to stay calm and expect it. That team is too good, too strong, too deep for us to have that kind of lead all throughout," said TNT coach Chot Reyes.
"When they made their run, we came back because the players got their composure and the rest was our defense," Reyes added.
Ginebra, as expected, leaned on Justin Brownlee, who delivered 28 points, 15 rebounds, and six assists. However, he struggled from long range, hitting just 1-of-5 from beyond the arc and missing both four-point attempts.
Scottie Thompson contributed 17 points, 13 rebounds, and seven assists, while RJ Abarrientos, who provided a late spark with a four-point play, finished with 13 points, four rebounds, and one assist in 23 minutes off the bench.
The Gin Kings will aim to bounce back and even the series on Sunday, March 17, at the same venue, while TNT looks to take a commanding 2-0 lead.
The Scores:
TNT 95 – Hollis-Jefferson 34, Pogoy 15, Oftana 10, Nambatac 10, Williams 8, Khobuntin 8, Erram 5, Aurin 5, Heruela 0, Razon 0.
GINEBRA 89 – Brownlee 28, Thompson 17, Abarrientos 13, Holt 9, J. Aguilar 9, Rosario 8, Gray 3, Malonzo 2, Ahanmisi 0.
Quarter Scores: 29-18, 55-39, 80-66, 95-89.
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For the 13th time in league history, the NBA has named an international player as its Most Valuable Player — a growing trend that speaks volumes about the sport’s global evolution.
Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has officially been named the 2024–25 Kia NBA MVP, beating out a stacked field and extending the streak of international MVPs to seven consecutive seasons.
He also becomes the fourth player in Thunder history to win the award, following in the footsteps of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden — a trio that helped establish OKC as one of the premier breeding grounds for elite talent in the modern NBA.
The international MVP legacy traces back to Hakeem Olajuwon, who won the award in 1993–94 while representing Nigeria. It continued with the quiet dominance of Tim Duncan from the U.S. Virgin Islands, who secured back-to-back trophies in 2002 and 2003. Steve Nash, Canada’s first MVP, also went back-to-back in 2005 and 2006, before Dirk Nowitzki of Germany claimed his own in 2007.
Following a stretch dominated by American stars, the MVP conversation shifted again in the late 2010s. Giannis Antetokounmpo earned his two titles in 2019 and 2020, and then Nikola Jokić launched his own historic run with three MVPs in four years. In between came Joel Embiid, who broke through in 2023 for Cameroon.
The Denver Nuggets pushed the West No. 1 seed, the Oklahoma City Thunder, to a thrilling Game 7 match-up after defeating them 119-107 in Game 6 on Thursday, May 16 (PH time) at the Ball Arena in Denver.
Nikola Jokic was the catalyst for the Nuggets’ victory, posting a dominant double-double with 29 points and 14 rebounds. He also contributed eight assists, two steals, and a block, showing his all-around impact on both ends of the floor.
His partner, Jamal Murray, backed him up with a strong performance, putting up 25 markers, eight boards, seven dimes, and a crucial rejection. Christian Braun also made his presence felt, delivering a double-double of 23 points and 11 rebounds, while adding five assists, three steals, and a block to the stat sheet.
The Nuggets’ bench came alive with Julian Strawther providing the spark they needed, finishing with 15 markers and two boards to help maintain the team’s momentum throughout the game.
In this Player Profile Series, we look back at the career of Benjie Paras—“The Tower of Power”—the only player in PBA history to win Rookie of the Year and MVP in the same season.
Paras was drafted by the Shell Turbo Chargers in 1989 and made an immediate impact. With his strength, mobility, and basketball IQ, he brought a complete inside presence—shot-blocking, rebounding, mid-range shooting, and post scoring. Shell didn’t win a title that year, but Paras’ dominant rookie season stood out above the rest.
In 1990, Paras led Shell to its first PBA championship, defeating Anejo Rhum in six games in the Open Conference Finals—a series remembered for Anejo’s controversial Game 6 walkout. The following year, Shell and Ginebra met again in the Reinforced Conference Finals. Shell took a 3–1 series lead but couldn’t close it out. Ginebra forced a Game 7 and won it on Rudy Distrito’s buzzer-beater.
Paras bounced back in 1992, helping Shell win another title—this time over San Miguel. But the team struggled with consistency after that. In 1993, Paras sat out one conference due to a contract dispute and requested a trade to Anejo, which didn’t materialize. He shifted focus to his acting career before returning to Shell. The team wouldn’t make another Finals appearance until the 1996 Commissioner’s Cup, where they pushed Alaska to seven games but came up short. Paras was back in the MVP conversation that season.
In 1998, Paras returned to the Finals in the Centennial Cup but lost to Mobiline. The rematch came later that year in the Governor’s Cup. Shell trailed 2–3 in the series but fought back to win in Game 7, with Paras and Gerry Esplana stepping up in crunch time.
His final championship came in 1999, leading Shell past the Tanduay Rhum Makers in six games. Facing a tough frontcourt that featured Fil-Ams Eric Menk and Sonny Alvarado, Paras held his own and steered Shell to the title. He won his second MVP that year—ten years after his first.
In the early 2000s, Paras battled injuries and eventually joined San Miguel in 2003. He retired at the end of that season, finishing his PBA career with 10,322 points in 574 games.
Paras also represented the Philippines in the 1990 Asian Games, where the national team brought home a silver medal after falling to China in the final.
In 2013, he returned to basketball as an assistant coach for the San Beda Red Lions and played in the PBA Legends Asia Tour the following year.
After his playing days, Paras transitioned into showbiz. He appeared in a range of TV dramas, sitcoms, and fantasy series, and also hosted game shows. Known for his versatility, Paras became a familiar face both on screen and on stage.
He is married to Lyxen Diomampo and has three children with her. He also has two sons from a previous marriage with actress Jackie Forster—Andre, who pursued both basketball and acting, and Kobe, who played college basketball in the U.S. and later for the UP Fighting Maroons before turning pro in Japan.