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Calvin Oftana dropped 32 points and six threes against his Gilas coach. PBA Images |
PASIG--Calvin Oftana heaved a sigh of relief in the end as Justin Brownlee's final push fell short and TNT scored a 91-86 win against Ginebra in their crucial PBA Commissioner's Cup battle on Friday night at the PhilSports Arena.
In a rematch of the Governors' Cup Finals, the Tropang Giga still stomped their dominance on the Gin Kings, although Brownlee, who was struggling almost all game long, tried to steal the win.
With Ginebra down, 80-89, inside the last two minutes, Brownlee completed a four-point play and scored on a layup to cut the deficit to three with 22.3 seconds left.
TNT, though, successfully read Ginebra's pressure defense, and Oftana, who was on a mission, sealed his team's win with two clutch free throws with 6.4 seconds left.
Oftana put up 32 points on 11-of-19 shooting including 6-of-12 on threes, seven rebounds, and one assist for TNT, which kept the top spot on winning percentage at 6-2.
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson added 25 points on a perfect 13-of-13 shooting from the free throw line, 13 rebounds, six assists, two steals, and one block.
Brownlee finished with 20 points, 16 rebounds, five assists, and one block for Ginebra, but he struggled with a 5-of-21 field goal shooting and six turnovers as Ginebra dropped to seventh place at 6-4.
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