Returning TNT cruises past Rain or Shine as Mikey Williams debuts

The TNT Tropang Giga showed no signs of rust in their return to action as they took down the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, 79-69, in the PBA Philippine Cup at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig on Friday, July 30.

The Tropang Giga, who missed two weeks of play due to the league’s health and safety protocols, dominated the struggling Elasto Painters from start to finish to stay unbeaten in two outings.

Troy Rosario put up a double-double of 13 points and 14 rebounds, while RR Pogoy also tallied 13 markers to propel the Tropang Giga to victory.

“Coming into the tournament, we knew that these things were possible because we’re playing in very difficult times,” said TNT coach Chot Reyes of entering the league’s health and safety protocol.

“So we said that this was going to be a testament to our agility, our versatility, and flexibility as a team.”

“We told ourselves, it shouldn’t bother us. Yes, it was very unfortunate but again, we just had to stay the course and focus on the things that are within our control,” he added.

After missing two weeks of action, the Tropang Giga went to work right away and built a double-digit lead at the half, 43-33.

The Tropang Giga never looked back and extended their advantage to 15 points, 74-59, early in the fourth quarter to pull away from the Elasto Painters for good.

Glenn Khobuntin and Jayson Castro chipped in 10 and 9 points, respectively, while Mikey Williams, the fourth pick in the recent PBA Draft, finished with 7 points on 2-of-10 shooting in his much-awaited TNT debut.

Javee Mocon had 22 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists, while Mark Borboran added 12 points and 8 rebounds for the Elasto Painters, who suffered their second straight loss after a fiery 3-0 start to the conference.