Tropang 5G, Gin Kings Seek Commanding 3-1 Semifinal Edge

TNT Tropang 5G and Barangay Ginebra San Miguel look to move a step closer to the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup Finals as they aim for commanding 3-1 semifinal leads Wednesday night at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.

The Tropang 5G face Meralco, while the Gin Kings battle Rain or Shine, with both powerhouse squads hoping to tighten their grip on their respective series and position themselves for a possible closeout before the week ends.

Much of the spotlight, however, will be on the 7:30 p.m. showdown between TNT and Meralco, as both MVP-backed teams unveil new imports.

TNT has been dealing with major roster adjustments after Bol Bol suffered a partial Achilles tear, while Meralco also made headlines by parting ways with import Marvin Jones ahead of Game 4.

The Bolts made the move shortly after their narrow 77-75 defeat to an all-Filipino TNT side last Sunday, where Roger Pogoy buried the game-winning triple to swing momentum back in favor of the Tropang 5G.

Stepping in for Jones is American-Egyptian center Patrick Yousef Gardner, who faces an immediate challenge against TNT reinforcement Chris McCullough. Gardner, who previously won a Commissioner’s Cup title with San Miguel in 2019, now joins the same franchise he once defeated in the finals, with Meralco hoping he can help fill the void left by Bol’s injury.

“Hindi naman mahirap mag-adjust sa amin; alam mo naman kaming maglaro; bara-bara naman kaming maglaro,” TNT coach Chot Reyes said. “As long as you have a pretty good basketball IQ, you can cope easily with what we’re trying to do.”

Despite TNT’s experience advantage and current series lead, sportsbook Tiger Score lists the Tropang 5G as slight underdogs with a +2.5 handicap and a total points line of 184.5.

Meanwhile, Barangay Ginebra appears to have gained momentum against Rain or Shine after securing a 103-98 Game 3 victory last Sunday.

Still, coach Tim Cone acknowledged that the Elasto Painters continue to pose problems with their relentless up-tempo attack, which nearly fueled a late comeback in the previous game.

Ginebra seized control in the third quarter behind Scottie Thompson, who scored 10 of his 25 points during the period to help build a double-digit lead that ultimately held up.

“That kinda turned a little bit in that third quarter,” Cone said. “Justin started getting going, RJ hit a couple of shots, Scottie was awesome all night.”

Now, attention shifts to how Rain or Shine will respond after suffering back-to-back losses following its dramatic Game 1 win.

According to Tiger Score, Ginebra enters the matchup as a narrow favorite with a -1.5 spread.