Terrafirma, of all teams, halts TNT win streak
The shake-up in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup playoff race took an unexpected turn on Wednesday at Ynares Center in Antipolo City, as TNT was abruptly dislodged from the top spot by the lowly Terrafirma.
TNT saw its six-game winning streak snapped with a 117-108 loss to the Dyip, whose hot shooting from three-point land, including a couple of four-point makes, allowed them to lead by as many as 31 points and avoid a 0-12 campaign in the second conference.
This result added another reward for NorthPort, which held off San Miguel Beer late Tuesday night, 105-104, despite squandering a 24-point lead. The Batang Pier are now back on. top, tied with Converge for the conference lead.
“It’s hard to [make sense of] the situation because things are tight in the standings,” said Arvin Tolentino in Filipino, after NorthPort improved to 8-3 (win-loss). Tolentino contributed 22 points, eight rebounds, four assists and two steals against the Beermen.
He supported import Kadeem Jack, who scored 38 points, including the go-ahead basket in the dying seconds. The Batang Pier’s victory over San Miguel marked a rare feat of one club defeating all three teams under the San Miguel Corporation umbrella in a single conference.
Hong Kong Eastern and Meralco are tied at second with 7-3 cards. At press time, Meralco was battling B.League outfit Ryukyu Golden Kings in a crucial East Asia Super League encounter at PhilSports Arena in Pasig City.
The Tropang Giga dropped to 6-3, placing them fifth or sixth depending on the outcome of the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters’ matchup against crowd favorite Barangay Ginebra that was also ongoing at press time.
San Miguel’s loss to NorthPort added to its struggles, dropping the Beermen to a tie for eighth at 4-6 with NLEX and Magnolia.
TNT can recover with three remaining games against Phoenix on Friday and San Miguel on Sunday in Antipolo, and against Rain or Shine on Jan. 31 at PhilSports Arena.
The Tropang Giga must quickly move on from their frustrations after falling to a Terrafirma side that dominated the second half behind rookie Mark Nonoy’s hot hands.
Nonoy delivered a conference-high 33 points, knocking down five triples and two four-pointers, leading the Dyip to replicate last conference’s success against TNT. Terrafirma’s lone win in 10 games during the Governors’ Cup was also against the Tropang Giga.
