The series is now tied again, with the TNT Tropang Giga leveling it all up with a win in Game 4. An extremely crucial Game 5 is coming right up this Wednesday, with each team looking to move just a win away from bagging the title.
Catch this game live on Wednesday, April 19 at 5:45 pm, Manila time.
TNT Tropang Giga (2-2)
Projected Starting Five:
- PG: Kib Montalbo
- SG: Mikey Williams
- SF: Rondae Hollis-Jefferson
- PF: Calvin Oftana
- C: Poy Erram
It was the Tropang Giga’s turn to make it rain from deep in Game 4, as they drained a total of 21 3-pointers on 43 attempts in a 116-104 victory. Any time a team shoot like that from rainbow country, it’s going to be tough to beat. Four TNT players hit at least four 3-pointers in Game 4, including Kib Montalbo, who started in lieu of RR Pogoy and reciprocated the trust of Jojo Lastimosa in him by scoring 16 points with four 3-pointers, while also adding five rebounds.
So long as he can provide great defense and help out on the glass, TNTs’ going to be happy with Montalbo, regardless of his scoring. The Tropang Giga needed to control more rebounds in Game 4, and he played a big role in why they had as many rebounds as Ginebra (38-38) after being minus-8 in that department in Game 3. At the end of the day, TNT will go as far as where Rondae Hollis-Jefferson takes them. Hollis-Jefferson exploded for 36 points in Game 4, outplaying Justin Brownlee once again.
Barangay Ginebra San Miguel (2-2)
Projected Starting Five:
- PG: Scottie Thompson
- SG: Stanley Pringle
- SF: Jamie Malonzo
- PF: Justin Brownlee
- C: Christian Standhardinger
Sure Ginebra regressed in their outside shooting in Game 4 after going 18/32 from deep in Game 3, but they still knocked down 15 threes on 30 attempts in the loss to TNT. At this point, it’s okay to accept that the Barangay will be a threat from behind the arc no matter how they shot the ball in the previous game. What they missed in Game 4 was the dominance of Christian Standhardinger inside, as he only finished with 10 points and grabbed just three reboinds in 31 minutes.
He did have nine assists, but look for him to be more assertive in Game 5. The Barangay are just in a better position to win games when he’s carving up space in the paint and pummeling TNT’s frontcourt. Nevertheless, his passing can really make a difference for the Barangay, who are No. team overall this conference with an assist rate of 70.3%. Justin Brownlee wasn’t too shabby in Game 4 as well, as he finished with 28 points, five rebounds, and four assists. Losing the Best Import of the Conference title to RHJ should be another great source of motivational fuel for the naturalized Filipino.
PREDICTION:
Spread: Ginebra (-5) covers.
Over/Under: The total (206) hits the Under.
