MANILA – NLEX Road Warriors and defending champion TNT Tropang 5G moved to the brink of the PBA Season 50 Governors’ Cup semifinals after securing commanding 2-0 leads in their respective best-of-five quarterfinal series on Wednesday at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City.
Deschon Winston and Robert Bolick Jr. fired 31 points apiece as the Road Warriors outlasted the Phoenix Fuel Masters, 124-117, while Rondae Hollis-Jefferson powered TNT to a convincing 91-73 demolition of the Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots.
NLEX overcame a stubborn Phoenix squad that threatened to turn the contest into a fourth-quarter upset before the Road Warriors unleashed a decisive scoring surge.
With the game tied at 101 midway through the final period, Winston, Kevin Alas and import Deonte Burton sparked a 9-0 blitz that gave NLEX a 110-101 cushion.
The Fuel Masters refused to surrender, trimming the deficit to five points, but Burton answered with consecutive baskets to frustrate Phoenix’s comeback attempt and preserve the Road Warriors’ advantage.
Burton provided a strong inside presence with 24 points and 10 rebounds, while Alas contributed 12 markers as NLEX moved within one victory of eliminating Phoenix.
Marcellous Earlington paced the Fuel Masters with 22 points, followed by Ricci Rivero and Kai Ballungay with 21 apiece.
Gian Mamuyac added 18 points, Kenneth Tuffin scored 17 and Tyler Tio chipped in 15, but their combined efforts failed to prevent Phoenix from falling into a 0-2 series hole.
Meanwhile, Hollis-Jefferson delivered another dominant all-around performance, exploding for 39 points and 15 rebounds as TNT overwhelmed Magnolia to tighten its grip on their quarterfinal showdown.
The Tropang 5G import also registered three blocks, two assists and two steals, spearheading an offensive assault that left the Hotshots struggling to keep pace.
Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser supplied 11 points, while Roger Pogoy added 10 as the defending champions moved a victory away from extending their title defense into the semifinals.
Magnolia leaned heavily on import KJ Buffen, who finished with 24 points, but the Hotshots failed to generate enough offensive firepower to challenge TNT.
Zavier Lucero contributed 16 points, while Jerom Lastimosa added 13 for Magnolia, which now faces elimination in Game 3.
Both NLEX and TNT will have their first opportunities to close out their respective series in Game 3, while Phoenix and Magnolia must win to keep their semifinal hopes alive./PN
