TNT showed the much-needed championship poise to ward off San Miguel Beer’s spirited rally en route to pulling off a heart-stopping 96-91 win to claim Game 1 of the PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup Finals on Wednesday at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City.
The Tropang 5G held the Beermen to an anemic 34.1 percent field goal shooting in the first half to grab a sizeable 17-point halftime lead.
But San Miguel relied on its depth with backup big man Moala Tautuaa knocking down 13 of his 22 points in the third quarter to help his team get back into the game.
TNT eventually saw its huge advantage evaporate as San Miguel came charging back with Jericho Cruz’s back-to-back twinners off twin turnovers by the Tropang 5G that allowed the defending champion to close in at 91-92, time down to 20 seconds in the game.
Jordan Heading though proved steady down the stretch after making all four of his foul shots from there, enabling TNT to escape with the victory and a 1-0 lead in their best-of-seven series.
Kelly Williams led TNT with 15 points and nine rebounds.
Calvin Oftana added 13, 10 boards and five assists, while Heading chipped in 13 and eight boards.
Henry Galinato, Rey Nambatac and Simon Enciso scored 10 or more points.
Jun Mar Fajardo led San Miguel with 24 points and 17 rebounds.