MANILA - TNT Tropang Giga moved to within a win from making a comeback to the PBA Philippine Cup Finals after downing Magnolia Hotshots, 102-84, in Game 4 of their semifinal series on Wednesday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City. With the win, the Tropang Giga now holds a commanding 3-1 lead in their best-of-seven series against the Hotshots, the same situation in their Philippine Cup Finals clash last year in Bacolor, Pampanga. TNT pulled away from Magnolia in the second half, holding the Purefoods franchise to just 16 third quarter points before erupting for 32 in the final frame. Poy Erram led the Tropang Giga, who can close out the series on Friday, with 19 points, 13 rebounds, one assist, and one block off the bench. RR Pogoy added 18 points, two rebounds, two assists, and one steal. Ian Sangalang made 19 markers, three rebounds, and one steal for the Hotshots. In the first game, Meralco Bolts used a blistering start and was able to sustain it until the end to trip
MANILA - Jayson Castro won it for TNT Tropang Giga as he hit a three-pointer in the dying moments to give his team a 93-92 win over Magnolia Hotshots in Game 3 of the PBA Philippine Cup semifinals on Sunday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City. In a game that saw Mikey Williams getting limited to just 15 points, Castro provided the clutch help for the Tropang Giga, burying a contested three-pointer with 2.4 seconds left to steal the win from the Hotshots. Magnolia thought they had it when Mark Barroca broke a 90-all deadlock with a tough layup with 9.8 seconds and TNT already out of timeouts. However, Castro showed heart in the end, running the full length of the court and quickly shooting a pull-up trey that swished in to the delight of the Tropang Giga fans. With the Hotshots also out of timeouts, Paul Lee settled for a half court heave that only hit the backboard as the clock hit zeroes. Poy Erram led TNT, now 2-1 up against Magnolia in the best-of-seven series, with 2
NorthPort's Arwind Santos is now a member of PBA's 10,000 Points Club. (Photo courtesy of PBA Image) MANILA - San Miguel broke loose in the fourth quarter to clip NorthPort, 122-106, in their Philippine Cup battle on Saturday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City. The Beermen spoiled Arwind Santos' formal entry to the elite 10,000 Points Club as they clobbered the Batang Pier in the endgame after a close encounter in the first 36 minutes of the game. Needing only 13 points to break the 10,000-point barrier, Santos scored on a jumper with 11:24 left in the third quarter, his 14th in the contest, to become only the 17th member of the elite scoring group and the only one among the active players this PBA Philippine Cup. However, SMB still had the last laugh after outscoring NorthPort, 40-24, in the final period to pull away for good. June Mar Fajardo and Robbie Herndon each scored 21 points to lead the Beermen, who are once again solo first placers in the team sta
MANILA - TNT began its quest for back-to-back PBA Philippine Cup titles after tripping Magnolia in an opening night rematch of last year's finals, 78-72, on Sunday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City. TNT pulled away late in the game to repeat its dominance over Magnolia, whom they beat in five games in the 2021 championship series in Bacolor, Pampanga. The Tropang Giga turned on the jets in crunch time and unleashed a 10-3 run within the last 2:26 of the game to upend the Hotshots. Troy Rosario tallied 22 points, 10 rebounds, two assists, two blocks, and one steal for TNT, which has yet to agree on a new contract with Mikey Williams, the newly-crowned Rookie of the Year. Williams is still in the United States at the moment even as teammate Kelly Williams received his Rookie of the Year and Mythical First Team awards on his behalf. Jayson Castro added 16 points, two rebounds, and six assists. Ian Sangalang chipped in 18 points and 10 rebounds, while Jio Jalalon and C
MANILA - Magnolia still went out to work on a Sunday night despite its playoff fate already sealed, dealing Alaska a 118-91 beating in a crucial PBA Governors' Cup meeting at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City. The Hotshots stomped their dominance early on, opening a 37-18 lead at the end of the first quarter and never looking back, even upping its lead to as high as 31 points. Mike Harris issued a statement against his former team, scoring 38 points on 15-of-20 shooting, 10 rebounds, two steals, and one block for the now 9-1 Magnolia squad, which will enter the quarterfinals as the top seed with a twice-to-beat advantage. Ian Sangalang added 14 points on 6-for-9 field goals, six rebounds, and one steal in his return to action, while Jio Jalalon chipped in 12 markers, 11 dimes, two boards, and one steal. Jack Corpuz made 12 points too, going 5-for-6 from the field and making both his three-point shots, alongside two rebounds, one assist, one block, and one steal. RK Ilagan l