Jason Castro of Talk N Text (light) vs Beau Belga of Rain or Shine (dark). PBA IMAGE by Nuki Sabio
Jason Castro returned to active duty last night and showed TNT KaTropa that he is still the player the franchise can always turn to.
Moala Tautuaa finally showed up and added another dimension to the TNT game, which, if sustained, could definitely help the Texters challenge the traditional powerhouses in the PBA Philippine Cup.
Castro hit 20 points in less than 26 minutes and Tautuaa made his first six shots to also finish with 20 as the Texters proved too much to handle for a game Blackwater side, 99-92, giving TNT its second straight victory in the elimination round last night at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
After being given a “leave” in the Texters’ first two games, Castro made his season debut with just over four minutes left in the first period and quickly assumed his go-to role as TNT got back in the groove as the game wore on and eventually put an end to the Elite’s dream start.
“We didn’t start the way we wanted to,” said Josh Reyes, who ended his interim coaching stint with a second straight win for 2-1, referring to a nine-point deficit that the Texters had to claw back from in the first period.
“We adjusted,” added Reyes, who also drew twin digits from Ranidel de Ocampo and Larry Fonacier. “We need to come out every time with the right things in mind—intensity-wise, energy-wise and pride-wise. This was just not the prettiest win for us.”
Stanley Pringle and Terrence Romeo combined for 42 points and GlobalPort used a hot start in the nightcap to trip Star, 91-84, and win for the second straight game for a share of the early lead with idle Rain or Shine.
The Hotshots, held to eight first quarter points, dropped to 0-2 despite getting 19 points from Marc Pingris.
Castro, regarded as Asia’s best point guard who was almost lured out of the team by a fat contract in the China Basketball Association, didn’t shoot that pretty from the field after going 4-for-15, making the bulk of his contributions from the stripe by making all but two of 13 tries.
Tautuaa hit 15 of his total in the first half and looked every inch like the player that the Texters drafted first overall last season.
He got the better of Mac Belo, the 6-foot-4 power forward whom the Elite picked first overall this year and who has so far succeeded in helping turn things around for Blackwater.
Belo still finished with 21 points—his average—and had nine rebounds. Kyle Pascual and John Pinto finished with 14 apiece for Blackwater.