MANILA, Philippines – TNT claimed a share of the lead in the 2018 PBA Commissioner’s Cup after cruising to a 117-106 win over sister team NLEX at the Mall of Asia Arena on Sunday, June 3. 

Import Joshua Smith flexed his muscles underneath with team-highs of 24 points and 13 rebounds on top of 5 assists and two blocks as the KaTropa tied Rain or Shine at the top with identical 6-1 cards.

Backstopping Smith were Anthony Semerad, who buried 6 triples en route to 22 points, Terrence Romeo, who chalked up 19 points and 8 assists, and Jayson Castro, who had an all-around outing of 10 points, 7 assists and 6 rebounds.

The KaTropa enjoyed a comfortable 108-96 lead midway through the last frame but the Road Warriors wouldn’t go down without a fight as Alex Mallari went on a personal 8-0 run, spiked by two triples, to make it a 4-point deficit.

However, TNT held its ground and kept NLEX scoreless in the final 3 minutes.

“We just tried doing a lot of combinations today. Jayson and Terrence playing together, Tony Semerad playing the 4 because we feel that’s something we will be needing in the future,” said TNT head coach Nash Racela. 

Arnett Moultrie paced the Road Warriors, who badly missed the services of Kiefer Ravena, with 31 points and 14 rebounds.

Mallari chipped in 15 points, 6 assists and 3 rebounds, Larry Fonacier scored 15 and Kenneth Ighalo added 11 markers in NLEX’s 5th loss in 7 outings.

The Scores:

TNT (117): Smith 24, Semerad 22, Romeo 19, Cruz 12, Pogoy 11, Castro 10, Rosario 6, Williams 5, Golla 3, Trollano 3, Garcia 2, Carey 0, Paredes 0, Reyes 0

NLEX (106): Moultrie 31, Mallari 15, Fonacier 14, Ighalo 11, Quiñahan 9, Tiongson 7, Taulava 6, Miranda 4, Marcelo 3, Baguio 2, Rios 2, Soyud 2, Monfort 0, Uyloan 0

Quarter scores: 45-30, 63-56, 89-82, 117-106

– Rappler.com