TROPANG TNT survived an endgame scare by sister-team NLEX Road Warriors to pick up an 85-80 win yesterday in the 41st PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the PhilSports Arena.
The Tropa continued to play without Jayson Castro but the absence of the top point guard hardly mattered when TNT started the game with 13 unanswered points.
The Tropa continued their relentless attack to build a 42-15 lead in the second period.
NLEX didn’t quit, staging a major uprising that saw them cutting the deficit to just three, 78-81, in the final 2:42.
NLEX, however, ran out of ammunition and scored just two points the rest of the way, allowing the Tropa to escape with their third victory in seven games.
David Simon topped TNT with 23 points, 16 rebounds, and four blocked shots.
Harvey Carey and Jai Reyes were the surprise package for the Tropa after they scored 11 each.
Al Thornton finished with 35 points and 15 rebounds for the Road Warriors, who dropped to 3-4.
Going down the drain was Garvo Lanete’s fine showing as he finished with 20 points on a four-for-eight shooting from the three-point land.
Meanwhile, the Barangay Ginebra Kings got back on track after they tripped the Blackwater Elite, 89-79.
By recovering from an 80-86 loss to the Alaska Aces last Wednesday, the Kings moved up to solo fourth spot with their fourth victory in seven games.