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MANILA, Philippines -- First blood.
The TNT Tropang Giga are now up 1-0 in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals after keeping the Barangay Ginebra at bay, 95-89, Friday evening at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson finished with 34 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists. He scored 23 in the first half as he played all 48 minutes.
RR Pogoy added 15, while Calvin Oftana and Rey Nambatac had 10 apiece.
After trailing by as much as 18 points in the game, Ginebra found their groove in the fourth quarter, cutting the lead to eight, 79-87, with 6:01 remaining.
But timely shots by Hollis-Jefferson and Calvin Oftana pushed TNT’s lead to 12, 93-81, with 1:57 remaining.
The Gin Kings, though, had a late push, with Justin Brownlee hitting back-to-back deuces and a 4-pointer by RJ Abarrientos making it a one-possession game, 89-93, with 6.6 seconds left.
But dagger free throws from Hollis-Jefferson iced the game, 95-89.
Brownlee attempted a 4-pointer to try and slice the lead further, but it missed, setting the final score
“Well, we talked about it at halftime, and we said for sure Ginebra is going to make a run, and we just reminded the players to stay calm, to expect it. We know that that team is too good, too strong, too deep for us to have that kind of a lead all throughout,” TNT head coach Chot Reyes said.
“So like you said, they made a big run, but we came back because the players kept their composure, and I think that's the most important thing. And then the rest was just our defense forcing them to take difficult shots. So I think that was the story of the second half.”
TNT started the game waxing hot, hitting eight 3-pointers in the first quarter alone to grab a 29-18 lead heading into the second frame.
Ginebra was able to cut the lead to nine early in the second, but TNT, led by Hollis-Jefferson, was just too hot to stop, grabbing a 17-point lead, 51-34, after a dunk by the leading Best Import of the Conference candidate.
The lead grew to as much as 18, 57-39, but a pair of free throws by Stephen Holt cut the lead to eight, 58-66.
But huge triples by TNT maintained their distance until the Gin Kings’ late run.
The Tropang Giga made 14 of their 37 3-pointers at the end of the game, and connected on 33 of their 78 total field goal attempts.
Ginebra, on the flipside, shot 33-of-81 from the field and 7-of-28 from deep.
Brownlee powered the Gin Kings with 28 points, 15 rebounds and six assists.
Scottie Thompson chipped in 17 markers, 13 boards and seven dimes.
Abarrientos added 13 points, including the first 4-pointer at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Game 2 of the best-of-seven championship series will be on Sunday, 7:30 p.m., at the same venue.
