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Manila Bulletin devider Sports devider Basketball devider NorthPort, TNT eye quick semis passage

NorthPort, TNT eye quick semis passage

Published Feb 5, 2025 06:48 am

At A Glance

  • The Batang Pier, who are armed with a twice-to-beat advantage after finishing as the top seed – a first in franchise history – take on the No. 8 Magnolia in the first offering at 5 p.m. while the Tropang Giga battle guest team Eastern in the main event at 7:30 p.m.

The two best teams at the end of the elimination, NorthPort and TNT, are looking for a quick passage to the semifinals of the PBA Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup when they take on their respective lower seeded but dangerous quarterfinal foe at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium on Thursday, Feb. 6.

PBA Images1 (3).jpg
KADEEM JACK should take it a notch higher when he leads NorthPort against the defensive-minded Magnolia in the quarterfinals Thursday, Feb. 6. (PBA Images)

The Batang Pier, who are armed with a twice-to-beat advantage after finishing as the top seed – a first in franchise history – take on the No. 8 Magnolia in the first offering at 5 p.m. while the Tropang Giga battle guest team Eastern in the main event at 7:30 p.m.

While NorthPort has the benefit of rest, it cannot take Magnolia lightly especially with the Hotshots seemingly peaking at the right time after rolling into four straight victories to catch the last bus to the playoffs.

Magnolia, for one, is riding the momentum from its convincing 112-81 win over NLEX in a do-or-die duel for the eighth spot.

Can the Hotshots survive another win-or-go home affair? Head coach Chito Victolero is liking his team’s chances.

“We're playing well on both ends of the floor. And pinaka-gusto ko lang is we're all healthy. I think this is the only second or third game (against NLEX) where we are fully healthy, lahat ng mga players," the Hotshots coach pointed out.

"Hopefully we can battle with the No. 1 team and give them a good fight,” he added.

Defense will be the name of the game for Magnolia especially a potent run-and-gun team in NorthPort which will be banking on the triumvirate of Arvin Tolentino, Joshua Munzon and import Kadeem Jack.

Now the frontrunner for the Best Player of the Conference after the early exits of June Mar Fajardo and Robert Bolick, Tolentino is looking primed for a big game as a semifinals stint for NorthPort could lock the do-it-all forward for his first major individual award.

Like NorthPort, TNT is not sitting on its laurels against No. 7 Eastern whose place in the standings certainly does not reflect the quality of it as a team.

For one, the Hong Kong-based crew actually sport the same record as Meralco and Rain or Shine, which sit at the fifth and sixth spot and only dropped to a twice-to-win disadvantage due to its inferior quotient.

Meanwhile, the Tropang Giga have the tools to easily advance to the semis with Jayson Castro, Rey Nambatac, import Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and BPC race contender Calvin Oftana leading the charge.

Eastern, on the other hand, shall be banking on the trio of Kobe Lam, Hayden Blankley and Glen Yang.

Related Tags

TNT Tropang Giga PBA Commissioner’s Cup NorthPort Batang Pier
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