MANILA, Philippines — Meralco survived TNT’s ferocious fourth rally to eke out a 110-106 victory to grab a share of second spot in the PBA Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup on Tuesday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
The Bolts led by as many as 19 points, before the Tropang 5G threw everything they got in the final period.
Jordan Heading, import Bol Bol and Rey Nambatac led TNT’s 35-point fourth quarter offense as the team came to within 105-107 heading into the final minute.
But Meralco proved steadier down the stretch with Chris Newsome and import Marvin Jones making their foul shots to survive TNT’s rally.
The win pushed Meralco to a share of second place with idle NLEX at 4-1, behind Rain or Shine’s immaculate 4-0 record.
TNT dropped to the middle of the standings with San Miguel and Phoenix with similar 3-2 cards.
Jones led Meralco with 28 points and 12 rebounds, CJ Cansino had 19 while Raymund Almazan 12.
The Bolts dictated the tempo of the game and showed solid team play as evidenced by their 32 assists.
Bol Bol led TNT with 28 points, Heading finished with 21 while Calvin Oftana had 10.