Gassed out and all in the fourth quarter, Rondae Hollis-Jeferson mustered his strength and sprinted back to the opposing end to block what could have been a game-turning fastbreak layup from Zavier Lucero.

That was just the kind of effort TNT put up as it hacked out an 84-82 victory over Magnolia in their defensive duel in the PBA Season 49 Governors’ Cup at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium on Tuesday, Sept. 17.

Hollis-Jefferson epitomized the effort and hustle for the Tropang Giga as aside from providing his usual scoring punch with 29 points, he also led the way on the defensive end with 25 rebounds.

TNT improved to a league-best 7-1 record, further tightening its grip of the Group A top spot.

In the battle between the two top defensive teams in the conference, TNT’s offense shone through with RR Pogoy pouring in 19 points and Calvin Oftana chipping in 10. 

Veterans Kelly Williams and Jayson Castro also had their share both finishing with nine, with the former adding seven rebounds and three steals.

Although the Tropang Giga limited the Hotshots to just 36 points through the first two quarters, Magnolia got its offensive groove in the third quarter when it exploded for 28 points behind the efforts of import Shabazz Muhammad who had 12 of his game-high 30 points in that frame.

Trailing by four, 64-60, heading into the final frame, TNT tightened up its defensive screws and managed to build up some breathing room, 82-75, with Hollis-Jefferson providing the big hits and after forcing consecutive stops against Magnolia.

Still, the Hotshots refused to wave the white flag just yet with Paul Lee and Jerrick Ahanmisi drilling long bombs down the stretch. A pair of Castro free throws, however, slammed the door on Magnolia’s fight.

Unlike in his first game, Muhammad managed to stay more on the floor and avoid foul trouble to provide the offensive firepower all while collecting 17 rebounds. Lee finished with 12 and Ahanmisi with 12 in a losing effort as the Hotshots slid to a 4-4 record in tie with Converge for the third and fourth spots in Group A.