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| Chris McCullough caught fire to lead TNT to a 3-2 semis lead against Meralco. Peter Baltazar |
SAN JUAN, MM--Chris McCullough showed that he is now jelling with his foe-turned-friends, leading TNT to a 103-95 win against Meralco in Game 5 of the PBA Commissioner's Cup semifinals on Friday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
Seven years after breaking their hearts in the 2019 Commissioner's Cup Finals, McCullough is now one win away from bringing his Tropang 5G back to the finals, erupting for 42 points on 16 of 28 shooting, including 3-for-5 from three-point range, with 11 rebounds, two assists, and one steal.
He also led their brilliant second half, where they scored 62 points after tallying only 43 in the first half.
Jordan Heading also put up a solid game with 22 points, one rebound, and six assists off the bench as TNT now holds a vital 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series.
The team can clinch the series on Sunday night in Game 6 at the Ynares Center 1 in Antipolo.
Pat Gardner led Meralco, which now needs to win Game 6 to send the series to sudden death Wednesday back at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, with 25 points, 12 rebounds, one assist, two blocks, and two steals.
Cliff Hodge and Chris Banchero each had 12 markers, with the former also grabbing 10 boards.
