With some of its usual hitters back, TNT steamrolled Titan Ultra, 130-92, in the PBA Philippine Cup Friday night at Ynares Center in Antipolo.
The Tropang 5G notched back-to-back wins since getting blown out by the Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings last Oct. 15.
‘I think it’s crucial that we get everyone back healthy. We played Ginebra without Brandon (Ganuelas-Rosser) and (Jordan) Heading but I’m not using that as an excuse,’ said TNT coach Chot Reyes, whose squad is still without guard Jayson Castro and center Poy Erram due to major injuries.
‘Having everyone is better than not having a complete lineup so I think that was the main difference. We continuously improve, we learned a lot of lessons from that Ginebra loss and hopefully we continue playing on a high level.’
TNT pulled away in the first half thanks to a 40-point second quarter that stretched its lead to 62-38 at the half.
PBA: Ginebra bounces back with dominant win over TNT
Henry Galinato led the Tropang 5G with 16 points and nine rebounds while Calvin Oftana notched a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Mike Nieto added 15.
Jordan Heading made his season debut, tallying eight points, three rebounds and five assists while Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser had nine points and five rebounds with one steal and a block to boot for TNT, which improved to 3-1.
The Giant Risers welcomed back Calvin Abueva, but even the dynamic forward’s return from an ankle injury couldn’t keep their team from dropping to 1-2. Joshua Munson led all scorers with 20 in a losing effort.