![]() |
An all-around masterclass from Rondae Hollis-Jefferson sent SMB to the brink of a shock elimination. PBA Images |
MANILA--You do not usually hear a June Mar Fajardo-led San Miguel squad getting ousted early into a PBA conference.
On Sunday night, though, TNT sent them into such a situation.
The Tropang Giga pushed the Beermen to the brink of a rare early elimination in the PBA Commissioner's Cup after a 115-97 blowout win at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.
The Tropang Giga exploded early on and opened a 31-19 lead against the Beermen at the end of the first quarter capped by a buzzer-beating four-pointer from Jayson Castro.
SMB sizzled early in the second quarter and even took the lead, but TNT bounced back later in the second and led, 56-49, at halftime.
The Tropang Giga blasted off again in the third quarter, outscoring the Beermen, 31-21, and they hung on until the end.
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson sizzled from long range and put up a rare 30-20-10 stat line with 35 points on 6-of-10 shooting from deep, 21 rebounds, and 10 assists with three steals and one block for TNT, which solidified its bid of finishing at the Top 2 as they moved up to second place at 8-3, a half-game behind NorthPort for first place.
RR Pogoy added 22 points on a perfect 5-for-5 shooting on twos, two assists, and one steal.
The Tropang Giga can seal their Top 2 berth with a win against the Rain Or Shine Elasto Painters on Friday night at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig.
Fajardo also had a monster game with 34 points, 13 rebounds, one block, and one steal, but it was not enough to keep SMB in control of their fate in the race for the eighth seed as they fell to 5-7 to end the elimination round.
The team can now only hope that both Magnolia and NLEX drop their next games to have a chance for the eighth seed.
The Hotshots will play the Meralco Bolts also on Friday night, while the Road Warriors will battle the Eastern Long Lions on Wednesday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
Follow him on X: @IvanSaldajeno