MANILA, Philippines – TNT still couldn’t catch a break.

The KaTropa tailspin continued after they succumbed to an 82-112 shellacking from Phoenix on Friday, August 31, that marked a fourth loss in their first five games of the 2018 PBA Governor’s Cup. 

It was a loss so lopsided that TNT head coach Nash Racela offered no answers to reporters, choosing to stay mum for the second straight time following the team’s 29-point romp from Alaska last Sunday, August 26. 

Hopes were high for the KaTropa heading into the season-ending conference.

After all, they made the semifinals of the Governors’ Cup last year and almost reached the finals if not for Glen Rice Jr’s ejection in the pivotal Game 6 against defending champions Barangay Ginebra. 

Also, TNT had the same core of last season’s roster, even adding potent offensive threats in Terrence Romeo and Jericho Cruz.

But so far, the KaTropa have been on a slump. 

TNT bowed out to a Yeng Guiao-less NLEX side in its conference-opener and was beaten by Blackwater for the first time in franchise history. 

The last two games weren’t any better for the flagship team of the MVP franchise as it lost by an whopping average of 29.5 points against Alaska and Phoenix. 

TNT’s lone win came at the expense of Meralco, and interestingly, it pulled the triumph by playing with an all-Filipino lineup. 

The KaTropa are given a slight reprieve in their bid to end a three-game skid when they face winless Columbian on Sunday, September 2, at the Araneta Coliseum. – Rappler.com