TNT guard Mikey Williams. PBA IMAGES
MANILA, Philippines—TNT kept its pace for a playoff spot after turning back Blackwater, 106-93, in the 2021 PBA Governors’ Cup Friday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Tropang Giga, whose players are returning from Gilas Pilipinas duty, tied Phoenix at the seventh seed with a 5-5 record while the Bossing continued their slump falling to a sad 0-10 record at the bottom of the ladder.
It was a wire-to-wire win for TNT as it controlled the Bossing the whole 48 minutes of the game.
The Tropang Giga were up by 20, 87-67, early in the fourth after Poy Erram scored on a layup off of Ryan Reyes’ feed.
Although Blackwater tried to chip away at the deficit, the most it did was get to within 11, 103-92, with less than two minutes to play.
Too easy for Mikey. #PBAiTuloyAngLaban pic.twitter.com/BLk5KFBXQj
— PBA (@pbaconnect) March 4, 2022
“I told the team that these are the games I fear the most,” said TNT head coach Chot Reyes of facing a winless Blackwater team. “Everyone expects us to win, these are the games I dread the most.”
“Blackwater is a much better team than their record reflects. They have a very good import and locals who play hard.”
Mikey Williams had a team-high 23 points with six rebounds and four steals to lead the Tropang Giga while Aaron Fuller added 16 points and 22 boards.
RR Pogoy and Reyes also finished with 16 points for TNT.
Shawn Glover flirted with a triple-double for Blackwater with 26 points, 15 rebounds, nine assists, and two steals.