TNT OUT TO FINISH OFF MERALCO, EYES PH CUP FINALS BERTH

AN undermanned TNT tries to go for the knockout punch against Meralco as Game 5 of the PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup semifinal series heads back to the Araneta Coliseum on Wednesday.

The Tropang 5G took a commanding 3-1 series lead on Sunday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena following their 102-83 demolition of the Chris Newsome-less Meralco Bolts.

But the win also saw TNT lose ace gunner Roger Pogoy who re-injured the same hamstring he had from last season’s Philippine Cup.

Playmaker Rey Nambatac also is playing through a sprained ankle, while evergreen big man Kelly Williams is coming off a recent bout with flu.

Amid the physical limitations of the team, coach Chot Reyes said his charges will stay focused and try to win the close-out game, and earn a return trip to the All-Filipino conference Finals.

TNT reached the Philippine Cup Finals last season, but lost to San Miguel eventually, a defeat that denied the team a rare grand slam finish for Season 49.

But he expects Meralco to come out with all guns blazing, even though Newsome will most likely still be out due to a hyperextended knee he sustained late in Game 3.

“Of course, we’re going to go all out, not because it’s a closeout game but we know Meralco is going to come back really hard,” Reyes said, whose team faces off with the Bolts at 7:30 p.m.

Meanwhile, Barangay Ginebra hopes to grab control of its own semifinal series when it battles defending champion San Miguel Beer at 7:30 p.m.

The Gin Kings evened their semifinal series at 2-2 following their 105-91 win against the Beermen last Sunday.

Playmaker Scottie Thompson churned out a historic triple-double effort of 35 points, along with 11 rebounds and 11 assists to help Ginebra avoid a 1-3 hole.

Thompson’s 11th career triple-double brought the Gin Kings back into the thick of the fight in the semifinal series, and now have a golden chance to grab the lead with another victory at the Big Dome.

SMB star center June Mar Fajardo, who averaged 24 points and 23 rebounds in the first two games of the series, has struggled offensively in Games 3 and 4 due to a shoulder injury.

The 6-foot-10 Fajardo saw his scoring average down to just 7.5 points on an abysmal 4-of-22 shooting in the last two matches.

2026-01-13T16:14:43Z