With a heart-pounding 93-92 win in Game 3, the TNT Tropang Giga now lead the series against the Magnolia Hotshots, 2-1. Will TNT make it three in a row this Wednesday? Or, will Magnolia pull even?

Catch this game live on Wednesday, August 10 at 6 pm, Manila time.

TNT Tropang Giga (2-1)

Projected Starting Five:

  • PG: Kib Montalbo
  • SG: Mike Williams
  • SF: RR Pogoy
  • PF: Kelly Williams
  • C: Troy Rosario

In case you haven’t heard: Jayson Castro is still a very good player. While his best days are now behind him, Castro reminded everyone why he was once considered the best point guard in an entire continent when he delivered a game-winning 3-pointer in TNT’s Game 3 win Sunday over Magnolia. 

He finished with 16 points in 29 minutes, while JP Erram put up 22 points to go with 8 rebounds for the Tropang Giga’s bench which spelled the difference in favor of TNT. One positive takeaway for the Tropang Giga so far in that series is that they continue to score a lot even in the face of Magnolia’s elite defense. The Hotshots are averaging 85.6 points allowed per game in the conference, but the Tropang Giga have not scored fewer than 88 in a game in the semis, thus far.

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Magnolia Timpados Hotshots (1-2)

Projected Starting Five:

  • PG: Paul Lee
  • SG: Jio Jalalon
  • SF: Calvin Abueva
  • PF: Rome Dela Rosa
  • C: Ian Sangalang

The Hotshots are at their best when Paul Lee, Ian Sangalang, and Calvin Abueva are all clicking, but Lee has been struggling to even meet his conference average against TNT. Lee has scored just 28 points through three games – only 9 in Game 3. TNT’s defense can take credit to that, though, another Hotshots guard has seemingly found another gear in the semis, with Mark Barroca, who scored 22 and 15 points in Games 2 and 3, respectively. 

Sangalang and Abueva have also been both consistent in leading the Magnolia offensively, and in Game 3, they combined for 35 points and 14 rebounds. Magnolia is outshooting the Tropang Giga by a wide margin in every game since the series started, including Game 3 where the Hotshots were a massive +10 in that department. The team’s shots are simply not falling, especially from deep, but as long as they are winning the possession battle, Magnolia should be very competitive against TNT.

PREDICTION:

Spread: Magnolia (+3) covers the spread.

Over/Under: The Over (185) hits.

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