Big win sends TNT to threshold of finals
Game tonight (MOA Arena) 7 p.m. – San Miguel vs Rain or Shine (Semifinals Game 2) SMB leads series, 1-0
With Terrence Jones doing Terrence Jones things, TNT KaTropa clobbered Barangay Ginebra, 88-71, to move on the threshold of a finals stint in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup last night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
His all-around skills in full display, Jones turned in 15 points, 19 rebounds and 10 assists to go with four blocks and two steals to power the KaTropa to commanding 2-0 lead in the race-to-three contest.
Jones did something that’s never been done in 15 years – make at least four tripledoubles in the tournament and with it, he helped TNT position itself for a trip to the championship round for the first time since the 2017 Commissioner’s Cup.
Prior to Jones, Alaska’s Galen Young was the last player to post four triple-doubles in a conference, achieving it in the 2004 Fiesta Conference.
Jones filled up his stats line with twin digits while also giving his locals time to shine. In fact, it wasn’t the former Houston Rocket who top scored for TNT but Jayson Castro with 20, followed by RR Pogoy with 18 and Troy Rosario with 16.
“He wasn’t as dominant scoring-wise but he enabled the locals to benefit from his passes,” said TNT coach Bong Ravena, whose wards can wrap the series up via a sweep on Tuesday.
As opposed to their hard-earned 95-92 victory in the opener, it was a comprehensive win for Ravena’s wards in Game 2.
The KaTropa zoomed past the Gin Kings in the later part of the second canto as Jones, Castro, and Rosario connived in a 17-7 bomb for a 51-42 upper hand at the break.
TNT, with Jones, Rosario, Castro and Bryan Heruela on the firing end, kept on pounding Ginebra the rest of the way en route to the runaway triumph.
“We’re lucky, we caught Ginebra on a bad game,” said Ravena.
Justin Brownlee delivered 25 markers and 13 boards for the embattled Gin Kings but didn’t get much from the locals as Japeth Aguilar , Scottie Thompson and LA Tenorio managed only 14, 13, and 11, respectively, and Stanley Pringle was held to a meager two-pointer.