The quarterfinal round series between the TNT Tropang Giga and the NLEX Road Warriors is now even after the latter held on for a thrilling Game 2 victory on Friday. Will the Tropang Giga take the series lead back? Or, will NLEX put more pressure on Chot Reyes’ squad with another win this Sunday?
Catch this game live on Sunday, September 29 at 5:00 pm, Manila time.
TNT Tropang Giga (1-1)
Projected Starting Five:
- Rey Nambatac
- RR Pogoy
- Kim Aurin
- Rondae Hollis-Jefferson
- Kelly Williams
The Tropang Giga came so close to pulling off a stunning come-from-behind victory in Game 2 which would have given them a 2-0 lead in the series, but their fightback ended up short, as TNT suffered a 93-90 loss on Friday.
There is nothing to panic about for TNT. The Road Warriors have always been perceived as a tough out. Even though TNT import Rondae Hollis-Jefferson needed 18 attempts from the field to get to 22 points, the Tropang Giga lost by three points in Game 2.
Hollis-Jefferson could be due for a bigger performance this Sunday. In any case, he will get a ton of touches and attract NLEX’s full attention enough to open things up for the likes of Jayson Castro and RR Pogoy, who scored 19 points each in the last game.
NLEX Road Warriors (1-1)
Projected Starting Five:
- Robert Bolick
- Robbie Herndon
- Enoch Valdez
- Anthony Semerad
- DeQuan Jones
The Road Warriors woke up dangerous last Friday. DeQuan Jones outplayed TNT’s Hollis-Jefferson, as NLEX’s import went off for 38 points on 12/26 shooting from the floor and also grabbed 12 rebounds.
Robert Bolick paced Road Warriors locals with 19 points, with nine points coming in the fourth quarter. NLEX will go as far as where the duo of Jones and Bolick takes the team, but better ball movement could help the Road Warriors sustain their momentum after they only had 11 assists on 31 field goals last Friday.
Meanwhile, the Road Warriors’ defense is something that shouldn’t be overlooked either. In Game 2, NLEX held Hollis-Jefferson to a brutal 27.7 percent shooting from the field. As a team, TNT shot just 37.5 percent from the floor. The Tropang Giga also had 16 turnovers.
Picks
Spread: TNT (-5.5)
Over/Under: Over (196.0)
