April 22, 2017

One streak is about to end as Texters and Gin Kings collide

TNT KaTropa and Barangay Ginebra face-off Sunday in a topnotch matchup between two teams in top form and in a hot romp, both determined to notch another win before the PBA All-Star Week break.

Both unbeaten in a long while, the Texters and the Gin Kings clash at 6:30 p.m. at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, with each side seeking to close in on an automatic playoff passage in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup.

TNT is riding the momentum of a five-game streak versus Phoenix Petroleum, Blackwater, NLEX, Mahindra and GlobalPort while Ginebra is sizzling on a three-game run against GlobalPort, Star and NLEX.

For both, the goal is to continue to get going to figure in the chase for the Top Two spots that reward a twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals.

“That’s our hope. We’ll do our part against Ginebra and hopefully we get a favorable outcome,” said TNT coach Nash Racela.

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Ginebra coach Tim Cone, meanwhile, sees a tough matchup between two teams that play entirely different brands of basketball.

“TNT is always a tough matchup because they are polar opposites to us in terms of style of play,” said Cone.

“So it really comes down to who can play their game and that’s tough because it is very hard to disrupt what TNT does. But we’ll try to stay disciplined in what we do and see how it goes,” Cone also said.

The TNT-Ginebra faceoff features lots of interesting matchups including that of Justin Brownlee and Donte Greene.

Greene erupted for 33 points and 10 rebounds with four local teammates contributing double-digit outputs as TNT KaTropa smothered GlobalPort, 109-88, for a fifth win Friday night.

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The TNT import now averages 26.25 points, 13.25 rebounds, 2.25 assists, 1.25 steals and 1.5 blocks while Brownlee norms 22.25 markers, 10.0 boards, 5.5 dish-offs, 3.0 steals and 2.0 blocks.

Among the TNT key locals are Jayson Castro, RR Pogoy, Ranidel de Ocampo, Troy Rosario and Kelly Williams who are likely to be tested by LA Tenorio, Japeth Aguilar, Joe Devance, Sol Mercado and Scottie Thompson.