Will the Talk N’ Text Tropang Giga put Barangay Ginebra San Miguel on the brink of elimination, or can the Barangay make it a series?
Catch the game this Friday, November 1st, at 7:30 PM, Manila time.
Talk N’ Text Tropang Giga (2-0)
Projected starting five:
- Rey Nambatac
- RR Pogoy
- Kim Aurin
- Rondae Hollis-Jefferson
- Calvin Oftana
TNT is simply continuing its conference-long dominance. Now up, 2-0, the guys are just clicking on both ends like always, as seen in scoring 100 points per game on 50% shooting in the series, topped off by an average winning margin of 14 points (104-88 in G1, 96-84 in G2).
Import Rondae Hollis Jefferson was off in the opener (19 pts, 8/23 FGs), but made up for it during Wednesday’s Game 2, pouring in 37 points, 13 rebounds, and seven assists on 13-of-23 shooting, six of which include three-pointers. Look for him to keep haunting the defense.
With a deep lineup, the key scorers behind RHJ are also interchanging. While RR Pogoy and Jayson Castro are the veteran mainstays, and Calvin Oftana is the most reliable in the bunch, guys like Rey Nambatac, Glenn Khobuntin, and Poy Erram could come out and be a key contributor too, on either side of the ball. Take Game 1 for example, Nambatac tallied a double-double of 18 points and 10 rebounds, while Poy Erram added 15 on a perfect 6-of-6 shooting, before deferring in Game 2 as Oftana and Khobuntin were the no. 2 scorers.

Barangay Ginebra San Miguel (0-2)
Projected starting five:
- Scottie Thompson
- Maverick Ahanmisi
- Stephen Holt
- Justin Brownlee
- Japeth Aguilar
Head coach Tim Cone has admitted that they have been outplayed and outcoached by the opposition. It’s evident all around, and the numbers tell a good story. They have been held to under 90 points on a woeful 37.3% shooting across two games, and no one is yet to reach 20 points, not even import Justin Brownlee. Winning is next to impossible with such abysmal production, especially if paired with inefficiency.
Brownlee has laid an egg on back-to-back occasions as the defense has put him in a spot to take over despite his ice-cold shooting while also containing his teammates. He’s a combined 15-of-38 thus far on an underwhelming 20.5 PPG.
Scottie Thompson had 18 points in Game 2, but the next highest scoring output by a local in the series is 14. It’s a staggering number from a roster that has Japeth Aguilar, Stephern Holt, Maverick Ahanmisi, and RJ Abarrientos, among others.
The Gin Kings are in a must-win situation, so we’ll soon see what this team is made of, and Cone’s coaching chops will be tested again. He has to solve their TNT problem.
PICKS:
Spread: Ginebra (-2)
Over/Under: Over (190.5)
