MANILA, Philippines – "The Best Semis So Far!" The TNT Tropang Giga narrowly survived a relentless fourth-quarter assault from the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, clinching a heart-stopping 93-91 victory to take a 2-0 lead in the PBA Season 49 Commissioner's Cup semifinals on Friday, February 28, 2025, at the Philsports Arena in Pasig.
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| Rondae Hollis-Jefferson’s impressive 28-point, 10-rebound performance powers TNT Tropang Giga to a Game 2 victory. Photo Credit: PBA.ph |
Eager to close out the semifinals series as quickly as possible, the TNT Tropang Giga wasted no time asserting their dominance in Game 2, stepping on the gas from the opening tip. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson immediately made his presence felt, stuffing the stat sheet with double figures in the opening quarter alone.
However, the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters didn’t step onto the court just to let their rivals walk away with the win. With a well-balanced offensive attack led by import Deion Thompson and strong contributions from the locals, they kept the game close.
The battle between imports intensified after the first half, turning into a true slugfest. RHJ led the charge with 19 points, while Thompson kept ROS in the fight with 13. Among the locals, Kelly Williams and Adrian Nocum provided solid support, chipping in eight apiece for their respective teams. Despite the back-and-forth action, TNT entered the halftime break with a commanding 54-44 lead.
In the first game, Barangay Ginebra San Miguel survived the gutsy NorthPort Batang Pier, 119-106. It was a walk in the park for the first three quarters, as the crowd-favorite team led the underdogs by 35 big points.
In fact, Kings’ super-import and Gilas’ naturalized gunner, Justin Brownlee, managed to shrug off his FIBA World Cup Qualifiers fatigue by delegating his usual scoring chores to his local teammates. The former D-League standout only notched 10 markers, while Japeth Aguilar took the helm and led all players with 31 points.
Come the final canto, Batang Pier’s reinforcement Kadeem Jack, Will Navarro, and Arvin Tolentino knocked on Ginebra’s door as the trio cut the once humongous advantage down to just 15, forcing Coach Tim Cone to put Brownlee back on the floor to hold off NorthPort’s scoring barrage.
In the end, the Gins had the last laugh and secured their second victory, taking a 2-0 series lead over the young guns.
Coach Chot Reyes made the most of the halftime break, strategizing an aggressive offensive game plan. As soon as the penultimate quarter began, the Tropang Texters quickly went to work, extending their lead and threatening to pull away for good.
TNT capitalized on their locals' sharpshooting from beyond the arc, complemented by Hollis-Jefferson’s dominant presence in the paint and relentless, board-shattering rebounds.
The Elasto Painters mounted a thrilling fourth-quarter surge, fueled by strong performances from Nocum and Gian Mamuyac, along with the unexpected exit of Hollis-Jefferson due to foul trouble. ROS’ relentless offensive push paid off, slicing what once seemed like an insurmountable lead down to just a deuce.
Rain or Shine’s valiant comeback fell just short, as Coach Yeng Guiao and his boys narrowly missed completing the upset, ultimately conceding a hard-fought 93-91 victory to TNT.
Aside from RHJ’s stellar double-double output of 28 points and 10 rebounds, four other Tropang Giga ballers delivered double-digit contributions, reinforcing TNT’s win and securing a solid 2-0 semifinals lead.
Game 3 for all semifinalists is set for Sunday, March 2, 2025, at the iconic Smart Araneta Coliseum.
— Joey Boy Capos, The Summit Express
