Rondae Hollis-Jefferson returned from an Achilles injury and made a statement, scoring 38 points as TNT swept top-seeded Magnolia, 98-87, on Saturday, Oct. 31. The Tropang 5G are headed to the PBA Season 50 Governors’ Cup semifinals.

Hollis-Jefferson also grabbed nine rebounds and dished out three assists at Ninoy Aquino Stadium to close the best-of-five series. The Hotshots entered the playoffs as the Group B top seed, but TNT won Game 1, 92-70, and Game 2, 91-73.

Defense Fuels Tropang 5G Sweep

Hollis-Jefferson, a three-time PBA champion and three-time Best Import awardee, credited Magnolia for a tough series. He also pointed to his daily preparation.

“Give credit to Magnolia, they played a wonderful series, making things tough for me and my teammates. But I put the work in every day, I trust the process, I believe in the work and the rest takes care of itself,” he said.

He deflected praise toward TNT’s defense. “What stands out for us is playing tough defense. It just so happened we scored very well,” Hollis-Jefferson said.

TNT coach Chot Reyes echoed that focus. “It’s really the attention to detail and the commitment to play defense,” Reyes said.

“We thought if we could limit their scoring, that would give us a chance to score on the other side. We know they’re No. 1 in the league on defense. We know in a halfcourt situation, we’d have a hard time scoring,” Reyes added.

TNT Awaits Ginebra-San Miguel Winner

TNT will face the winner of the quarterfinal series between Barangay Ginebra and San Miguel in the semifinals. The Tropang 5G took the fast track with a three-game sweep.

Rey Nambatac scored 13 points off the bench, while RR Pogoy added 12 and Calvin Oftana chipped in 10. TNT held Magnolia to 87 points in the clincher.

Reyes said TNT did not shoot well from the three-point line in the series. “Our ability to stop them, that’s the key,” he said.