The TNT Tropang Giga recaptured the series lead with a big win in Game 3 on Wednesday. Meanwhile, the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel have their backs against the wall, with their best player at risk of missing the pivotal fourth game of this Finals series. Will the Tropang Giga move just a win away from the championship? Or, will Ginebra find a way to level the series gain?

Catch this game live on Friday,  March 21. 2025 at 7:30 pm, Manila time.

TNT Tropang Giga (2-1)

Projected Starting Five:

  • Rey Nambatac
  • RR Pogoy
  • Calvin Oftana
  • Rondae Hollis-Jefferson
  • Kelly Williams

Starting Rey Nambatac in Game 3 did the trick for the Tropang Giga. The Tropang Giga reaped the rewards of their decision to give the former Letran Knights star a spot in the first five unit, as Nambatac led TNT to an 87-85 victory on Wednesday. Nambatac paced TNT with 24 points on 9-for-16 shooting from the field and also hit a huge 3-pointer to give the Tropang Giga the lead with just 30 seconds left in regulation. 

They also benefited from a bounce-back performance by Rondae Hollis-Jefferson in terms of efficiency, as the import went 8-for-14 from the floor for 20 points. Expect TNT to keep the same starting lineup for Game 4 and let Nambatac try to see if he can sustain his fiery form. Not to be overlooked is TNT’s defense that limited Ginebra to just 33.3 FG% in Game 2 and 41.0 FG% in Game 3. If the Barangay end up missing the services of Justin Brownlee, that could make for an easier job for TNT, especially on defense.

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Barangay Ginebra San Miguel (1-2)

Projected Starting Five:

  • Scottie Thompson
  • Stephen Holt
  • Justin Brownlee (Doubtful)
  • Troy Rosario
  • Japeth Aguilar

The big question for Ginebra for Game 4 is whether import Justin Brownlee will be able to see action in it. The naturalized Filipino wasn’t able to finish Game 3 due to a seemingly serious hand injury that has put his availability for Game 4 in jeopardy. Ginebra head coach Tim Cone hasn’t ruled out Brownlee for Game 4 at the time of this writing, saying that the import is doubtful (h/t Tiebreaker Times), though that could also just be some gamesmanship on the part of the veteran mentor.

 But even without Brownlee for a good part of the second half in Game 3, the Barangay managed to keep the game interesting and TNT on its toes. Scottie Thompson scored 15 points in Game 3 while RJ Abararientos had 13. Stephen Holt should be on bounce-back watch after going just 1-for-7 and from the field with just five points in the loss to TNT. He’s gone just 2-for-13 in the last two games, so he’s due for a statement performance.

Picks

Spread: Ginebra (+7.5)

Over/Under: Under (179.5)

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