TNT and Barangay Ginebra, the protagonists of the league’s past two conferences, had contrasting fates on Wednesday when they made their respective debuts in the PBA Philippine Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Gin Kings breezed past the Terrafirma Dyip, 101-80, behind a breakout performance from Japeth Aguilar, who had the finest game of the season.
A 16-year veteran and an eight-time PBA champion, Aguilar showed up in tip-top condition and served notice of his readiness to help the Gin Kings in their campaign in the season-ending tournament.
He pumped in 30 points, including 22 in the first half, as the Gin Kings came out in dominant fashion.
“It’s not an issue for us. I think our guys are best in terms of moving forward,” said Ginebra coach Tim Cone during the post-game interview, referring to the Gin Kings’ third straight finals setback against the Rondae Hollis-Jefferson led TNT.
“We’re moving on and we’re motivated because it’s the All-Filipino. We want to get off and try to get our feet wet, trying to win it.”
If the Gin Kings were able to win with ease, TNT’;s starting point of an ambitious grand slam was hit by a road block this early as NLEX hammered out a convincing 91-74 victory in the first game.
The Road Warriors outscored the Tropang 5G in the first three quarters and held on to secure a victory behind their balance scoring.
Six players wound up in double figures for the Road Warriors with JB Bahio coming away with a double-double performance of 13 points and 12 boards.
Robert Bolick also added 13 markers, the same output produced by Xyrus Torres, while Javee Mocon contributed 11. Enoch Valdez and Brandon Ramirez each tallied 10 markers for NLEX.
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