Meralco bracing for TNT fightback in Game 3 even without Bol
Published May 23, 2026 02:34 pm
At A Glance
- The Bolts veteran mentor is bracing for nothing but an even braver stand from the Tropang 5G in the contest schedule at 5:15 p.m. especially following the injury of 7-foot-3 Bol Bol, who was ruled out for the rest of the conference.
The more they are wounded, the fiercer they fight.
That’s what Meralco head coach Luigi Trillo is expecting from TNT when they break the deadlock in Game 3 of their PBA Season 50 semifinals series at the Mall of Asia Arena on Sunday, May 24.
The Bolts veteran mentor is bracing for nothing but an even braver stand from the Tropang 5G in the contest schedule at 5:15 p.m. especially following the injury of 7-foot-3 Bol Bol, who was ruled out for the rest of the conference.
Following suit in the second game is the equally entertaining clash between Barangay Ginebra and Rain or Shine at 7:30 p.m.
All eyes, however, are surely on TNT, which not only has the huge task of adjusting to new imports but also making up for the lost 37.6 points, 14.3 rebounds and 4.1 blocks per game averages of Bol.
The Tropang 5G tapped UAAP Season 88 MVP Malick Diouf as temporary import, at least for Game 3 while waiting for the arrival of their supposed Bol replacement.
But for Trillo, it is the TNT locals who they need to focus more, especially in this situation.
“It won't be an easy game. I'm sure they're going to get a quality import, but import's one thing. The locals of TNT, that's why they've been to back-to-back finals,” said Trillo.
“That's why those guys are called upon. They're tough, right? They started 0-3, they figured it out. And we have to pay close attention to them for Sunday's game,” he added.
Of course, the absence of Bol, the leading Best Import candidate, is big for Meralco but Trillo insisted that the focus for the Bolts is their self improvement especially after barely surviving an All-Filipino TNT in their 87-73 Game 2 win.
“We can't control right now what they're doing. All that we can control is we need to get back to the drawing board a little bit, see the video, you know, clean up a little bit of the mistakes,” stressed Trillo.
Meanwhile in the second game, the Kings are hoping to avoid their near-collapse in their 109-101 win over the Elasto Painters in Game 2.
For Rain or Shine, on the other hand, it cannot afford another flat start after trailing by as many as 24 in the last game. Good thing, the team still has some sort of momentum heading into Game 3 especially after their brave rally before falling short in the fourth quarter of Game 2.