Two months after their PBA Governors' Cup title clash, TNT and Barangay Ginebra lock horns once again, both pushing their bids for a Top Two finish entering the homestretch of the Commissioner's Cup elims.
The Tropang Giga are sizzling on a five-game roll while the Gin Kings ride the momentum of an 86-63 walloping of the Blackwater Bossing as they set out for battle at 7:30 p.m. at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig.
In a tight bunch with at least five other teams, coach Chot Reyes' troops try to jack up their record to 6-2 while coach Tim Cone and his wards seek to climb up to 7-3.
And they brace for slam-bang game in a grudge match after their first-conference titular face-off won by Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and his teammates in six games.
It's now actually 2-0 for TNT versus Ginebra with the Tropang Giga winning their previous title showdown in the 2023 Governors' Cup.
Sponsored content: Ginebra, however, goes to the battle now with a lineup shored up by the return of Jamie Malonzo and the addition of free-agent recruit Troy Rosario.
It's not lost on Reyes the added offensive teeth and defensive muscle the Kings have got.
He's thankful they rolled past the NLEX Road Warriors, 94-87, Wednesday, and gained some boost ahead of their Ginebra tiff.
The Tropang Giga took a while to get a good run and dispose of the Road Warriors with RHJ once again leading the way with 23 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists despite a struggle from the field and from the stripe.
But Reyes said their import must find his range if they're to compete with Justin Brownlee and the rest of the Ginebra gang.
Sponsored content: The Kings are coming from a 23-point rout of Blackwater marked by the return of Malonzo from long months of absence.
Malonzo made eight on his first appearance back from a calf injury he sustained in April 2024. And the former La Salle hotshot even was a key component of Ginebra's third-quarter pullaway, scoring six in that stretch, including a two-handed dunk that drew cheers and applause from the good-sized Sunday crowd. (SB)
