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TNT KaTropa led from start to finish on Wednesday night and brought down one of the leaders in the PBA Governors’ Cup in sister team Meralco, 113-107, at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
After that, coach Nash Racela was still talking about the instability of his crew, which, he stressed, has been the main reason the Texters have been on and off in the season-closing conference.
“It’s been very difficult for us,” the rookie coach answered when asked why such a talent-laden squad is running in the middle of the 12-team pack and is still a win out of the playoffs despite improving to 5-3. “Every day has been different for us, something always comes up.
“As a team, we are unstable because of a lot of things—Gilas, import situation, Gilas, injuries and then Gilas again,” he said. “But again, that’s a sacrifice we have to make. Hopefully, we can (eventually) get our stride.”
Riding its superior local lineup, San Miguel Beer snapped a two-game losing streak after a 103-96 decision of Rain or Shine later in the night, improving to 4-3 overall and staying alive in the hunt for a top four berth.
The Beermen got paltry numbers from outgoing import Terik Bridgeman—he was held to just four points—for the second straight game, but with four locals tossing in twin digits, San Miguel was able to put a halt to the Elasto Painters’ three-game winning streak.
Rain or Shine dropped into a tie with the Beermen, who got 27 points from Chris Ross.