Cameron Oliver and Mikey Williams provided the one-two punch as TNT bucked a slow start before holding off Blackwater in the second half to eke out a 108-98 victory in the 2022 PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the PhilSports Arena on Saturday, Oct. 22.
The duo went on a scoring display for the Tropang Giga who were looking to erase the bitter taste of their upset loss against NLEX the last time out. Oliver bounced back from a lackluster showing with 38 points and 10 rebounds while Williams fired 28 points built on six triples.
The Tropang Giga pulled away in the surprisingly tight contest during the third quarter when Oliver, Williams and RR Pogoy all connived in a back-breaking 15-1 rally that enabled them to build the first double-digit spread, 76-65.
More than the offensive display by the two, TNT head coach Chot Reyes was even more pleased with their defense after forcing the Bossing to a season-worst 31 turnovers.
“Well, that's all we talked about after our last game, as poorly as we shot against NLEX, our problem really was our defense so just like today, we scored 101 points against NLEX. If we kept that number (below) 90, we would have the chance in the last game as well so we really intentionally put a lot of emphasis and focus on our defense,” said Reyes.
Pogoy and Calvin Oftana finished with 11 points apiece although the former struggled offensively after shooting just 4-of-13 from the field.
Blackwater’s errors proved to be too costly for the team as it wasted its balanced attack on the offensive end that saw six players scoring in double-digits go for naught.
Cameron Krutwig put up 25 points, 16 rebounds and six steals while Baser Amer added 16 points. Rey Suerte contributed 15 while Ato Ular finished with 13. Gab Banal and Rashawn McCarthy were the other double-digit scorers with 12 and 11 points, respectively.