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Manila Bulletin devider Sports devider Basketball devider Rondae, TNT strike again, nip Ginebra in OT thriller

Rondae, TNT strike again, nip Ginebra in OT thriller

Published Mar 28, 2025 02:46 pm

At A Glance

  • Practically playing on one leg, Hollis-Jefferson anchored the stifling Tropang Giga defense in the waning minutes and then leaned on the late-game heroics of Glenn Khobuntin and Calvin Oftana to once again take down the Kings in their third meeting in the finals.

With the huge 21,274 people bearing witness to its greatness, TNT asserted its mastery over Barangay Ginebra with a nail-biting 87-83 overtime win in Game 7 of the PBA Finals to wrest the Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup title at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Friday, March 28.

PBA Images1 (7).jpg
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson is just a different beast in the PBA Finals. (PBA Images)

Practically playing on one leg, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson anchored the stifling Tropang Giga defense in the waning minutes and then leaned on the late-game heroics of Glenn Khobuntin and Calvin Oftana to once again take down the Kings in their third meeting in the finals.

TNT claimed its 11th championship in its franchise and, more importantly, put it in a position for a possible Grand Slam after also winning the first two conferences of the season.

Head coach Chot Reyes also nabbed his 11th PBA title and is now 3-3 in Game 7s in the Finals in his career.

Hollis-Jefferson poured 25 points to go with 12 rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block after playing for more than 52 minutes in the title-clincher.

Nambatac also sustained his series-long brilliance with 22 points on his way to claiming the Finals Most Valuable Player honors. Through the series, he averaged 17.85 points, 3.1 rebounds and 3.4 assists highlighted by a playoff career-high in Game 3 when he fired 23 points.

Khobuntin also finished with 14 points – none bigger than his last two triples, one he buried during the regulation and the other in the extra period to give TNT a comfortable 85-79 lead.

Ginebra, though, kept itself within striking distance, 83-85, before a scramble for a loose ball led to a Calvin Oftana layup which put the dagger to the hearts of the Kings with six ticks left on the clock.

Justin Brownlee remained winless against Hollis-Jefferson in the Finals despite another huge effort of 28 points and 10 rebounds including the booming triple over the outstretched arms of Paul Varilla with 16 seconds left in regulation to send the game to the overtime.

Related Tags

TNT Tropang Giga Rondae Hollis-Jefferson PBA Commissioner’s Cup Barangay Ginebra San Miguel
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