MANILA, Philippines — Rondae Hollis-Jefferson erupted for 16 of his 26 points in the second half as defending champion TNT ripped Magnolia, 92-70 to win their PBA Season 50 Governors’ Cup best-of-five quarterfinal series opener on Sunday at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.
The left-handed former Brooklyn Nets forward also added nine rebounds and five assists as he started showing his deadly form since being out for 10 months.
The three-time PBA Best Import has just fully recovered from an Achilles injury he sustained while playing for the Meralco Bolts in the EASL in December 2025.
Calvin Oftana contributed 13 points and 11 rebounds, while Rey Nambatac and Roger Pogoy added 12 apiece.
KJ Buffen led the Hotshots with 18 points and nine rebounds while Zav Lucero 14, as the team fell by as many as 25 points.
Earlier, NLEX showed nerves of steel in the endgame to eke out a 97-92 decision over Phoenix Super LPG to get off to a winning start in the quarterfinals.
Robert Bolick and Deonte Burton came to NLEX’s rescue, bucking foul trouble to lead the top seed from Group A with the series-opening victory.
Hastening the Fuel Masters’ downfall was the flagrant foul slapped on Phoenix import Marcellus Earlington in the dying seconds, which proved costly.
LJ Gonzales split his free throws, before import Deonte Burton sealed the victory with a pair of foul shots late in the Game 1 to seal the deal.
Burton led NLEX with 27 points and 11 rebounds, while Robert Bolick had 20.
Ricci Rivero led Phoenix with 24 points and nine rebounds, Kai Ballungay had 20 while Earlington 14 and 13.
The Jimmy Alapag-mentored NLEX guns for a commanding 2-0 lead on Wednesday, October 28, at Ynares Antipolo.
