TNT snatches Game 5 thriller from Meralco, rolls into Finals

TNT got amply rewarded for its clutch plays in the dying seconds, enabling it to carve out a 99-96 thriller over Meralco last Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum and advance to the PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup championship series.

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Jordan Heading topscored with 31 points and joined the likes of Rey Nambatac and Calvin Oftana in making the biggest plays in the last 21 seconds that enabled the Tropang 5G to close out their best-of-seven semifinal duel, 4-1.

It was Nambatac’s four-pointer that brought TNT within one and Heading immediately followed suit with a steal off CJ Cansino and a layup that put them ahead, 97-96.

Not to be outdone and perhaps making up for a poor shooting night, Oftana turned his focus on defense and blocked a Cansino layup try, leading to a pair of Nambatac charities that gave him 25 for the game and the Tropa a 99-96 spread, only 6.4 ticks left.