The TNT Tropang 5G kept their Grand Slam bid alive after surviving the grit and grind of the Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots, 89-88, on Wednesday, June 18, at the Philsports Arena in Pasig.
RR Pogoy came alive in the pivotal moments, finishing with 30 points to lead TNT to a crucial victory and force a knockout game on Saturday, June 21.
"Mindset ko lang eh ayaw ko magpatalo, ayaw ko mag-bakasyon," said Pogoy, who helped erase a 13-point Magnolia lead.
Supporting Pogoy in the must-win game were Calvin Oftana and Jordan Heading, who chipped in 21 and 10 points, respectively.
Veteran Kelly Williams and Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser also came up big, scoring 12 and 10 points. They drained back-to-back triples in the dying minutes to help seal the win.
"Mindset ko lang eh ayaw ko magpatalo, ayaw ko mag-bakasyon," said Pogoy, who helped erase a 13-point Magnolia lead.
But Magnolia answered back as Rome Dela Rosa hit a triple and Paul Lee buried a four-point play to tie the game.
The match looked headed for overtime until Williams grabbed a crucial offensive rebound off a missed layup by Oftana and drew a foul from William Navarro with 6.8 seconds remaining, sinking the go-ahead free throw.
For Magnolia, Lee led the way with 15 points, followed by Zavier Lucero and William Navarro with 14 apiece. Jerome Lastimosa, Ian Sangalang, and Dela Rosa also finished in double figures with 12, 10, and 10, respectively.
With the win, TNT lives to fight another day and continues its pursuit of a historic first-ever franchise Grand Slam.
Meanwhile, Magnolia, which squandered its twice-to-beat advantage, will now need to win on Saturday to return to the Philippine Cup Finals—a crown they last won in 2014.
The Scores:
TNT 89 - Pogoy 30, Oftana 21, Williams 12, Heading 10, Rosser 10, Erram 4, Galinato 2, Khobuntin 0, Heruela 0, Aurin 0, Enciso 0, Varilla 0.
MAGNOLIA 88 - Lee 15, Navarro 14, Lucero 14, Lastimosa 12, Sangalang 10, Dela Rosa 10, Barroca 6, Dionisio 4, Laput 2, Reavis 1, Alfaro 0.
Quarter Scores: 18-22, 37-44, 61-65, 89-88.
Earlier that evening, the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters also lived to fight another day, overcoming the twice-to-beat advantage of the NLEX Road Warriors, 92-89, behind a monster 20-point, 21-rebound performance from Jhonard Clarito.
Clarito exploded in the fourth quarter, scoring 14 of his 20 points and grabbing 13 of his career-high 21 rebounds. He helped turn a 69-77 deficit into a 90-85 lead with 1:43 left.
Robert Bolick, who struggled all game, hit a four-point play to give NLEX a glimmer of hope. But he missed a potential go-ahead shot in the next possession, which led to Clarito’s game-sealing free throws with 10.5 seconds to go.
"We just stayed patient, nagpasensiya lang kami," said coach Yeng Guiao after the game, which saw his squad lead by as much as 16 in the second quarter before getting outscored 36-22 in the third.
"Basketball is a game of runs. We had our run in the first half, they had theirs in the third quarter. Mabuti na lang nakabalik kami sa fourth. Sheer hard work, sheer effort," Guiao added.
"We just tried to extend the series. Itong si Jhonard, nakita natin ‘yung effort niya. Buwis-buhay talaga. Any coach would appreciate that kind of effort."
Clarito, standing at 6-foot-2 also became the first local RoS player to record a 20-20 game and the shortest PBA player to do so since Calvin Abueva in the 2014-15 Philippine Cup.
"’Yung 3-points namin sobrang baba, kaya dinaan namin sa sipag, boxout, at rebound. Nagtulong-tulong din mga teammates ko," said Clarito, who had six offensive rebounds—all in the fourth quarter.
On the other side, Xyrus Torres led NLEX with 20 points. Javee Mocon had a double-double of 16 points and 11 rebounds, while Bolick tallied 15 points on 5-of-20 shooting.
The Scores:
RAIN OR SHINE 92 - Clarito 20, Nocum 20, Santillan 16, Caracut 10, Mamuyac 7, Tiongson 6, Asistio 5, Porter 4, Norwood 4, Datu 0.
NLEX 89 - Torres 20, Mocon 16, Bolick 15, Ramirez 11, Semerad 9, Bahio 6, Alas 6, Nieto 2, Fajardo 2, Policarpio 2.
Quarter Scores: 28-15, 47-37, 69-73, 92-89.
