PBA: Tropang Giga, tinalo ang Hotshots; 103-100

Hindi nagpatinag ang TNT sa Magnolia kung kaya naman tinalo nila ito, 103-100, PBA Season 49 Commissioner's Cup, nitong Miyerkules ng gabi, sa Ninoy Aquino Stadium. 

Binuhat ni Calvin Oftana ang koponan para madala ito sa kanilang unang panalo kung saan mayroon itong naitalang 42 points sa 15-of-23 shooting from the field, kabilang ang siyam na three-pointers.

Bukod kay Oftana, nagdagdag si Rondae Hollis-Jefferson ng 41 puntos at 13 rebounds. 

Kuntento din si TNT coach Chot Reyes sa naging resulta ng kanilang laban kontra Magnolia. Sinabi rin nito na ang naging susi sa kanilang panalo ay ang kanilang team effort at iyon din umano ang pinagtuunan nila ng pansin sa laban kagabi.

"Our only focus for this game was effort. That was written on big letters on our board because I was very, very upset with the effort that we showed in the first two games. It's good to come out with a W but, you know... we don't want to win that way," ani Reyes.

"Even before looking at the technical aspects of the game, not having Jayson (Castro) and Kelly (Williams) and Poy (Erram) as well in the first two games was a big blow for us. But still there's no excuse for not exerting our best effort," dagdag pa 10-time champion mentor

"That was why I was very upset with the way we finished the game. We gave up eight points in the last 40 seconds and that goes against everything that we believed in and everything that we stand for as a team" saad pa ni Reyes.

Hindi naman sumapat ang nagawang 27 points ni Ricardo Ratliffe habang mayroong tig-18 points naman sina Calvin Abueva, Mark Barroca at Jerom Lastimosa para sa Hotshots.

Samantala, sa December 18, Miyerkules, ay haharapin ng Magnolia ang koponan ni coach Yeng Guiao sa Ninoy Aquino Stadium, habang target naman ng Tropang Giga na makakuhang muli ng panalo laban sa Blackwater Bossing sa Huwebes, December 19, sa kaparehong venue.

The scores:

TNT 103 – Oftana 42, Hollis-Jefferson 41, Pogoy 6, Erram 6, Heruela 4, Nambatac 4, Razon 0, Galinato 0, Khobuntin 0, Varilla 0, Aurin 0.

Magnolia 100 – Ratliffe 27, Barroca 18, Abueva 18, Lastimosa 18, Sangalang 9, Eriobu 5, Dionisio 3, Mendoza 2, Dela Rosa 0, Ahanmisi 0, Balanza 0.

Quarters: 33-25; 52-48; 83-75; 103-100.