It could have been a different story in Game 2 of the PBA quarterfinals for TNT had Rondae Hollis-Jefferson nailed all his four freebies at endgame.
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson once again gave it his all, but this time around, it was just not good enough.
Two days ago, Hollis-Jefferson slowly picked up the pace to power TNT to a Game 1 win over NLEX. On Friday night, Sept. 27, he tried to harness the same intensity to lift the Tropang Giga to the finish line for what could have been a 2-0 lead in their best-of-five PBA Season 49 Governors’ Cup quarterfinal series.
Instead, TNT fell to a 90-93 loss, allowing the Road Warriors to level the affair.
Hollis-Jefferson, a former Best Import, was the best player for the Tropang Giga, coming up with a team-high 22 points and 22 rebounds while also getting five assists, four steals and two blocks.
Too bad he foiled a golden chance to send the game into overtime.
With TNT down 88-92 in the dying seconds, Hollis-Jefferson got the offensive board off a Jayson Castro miss, dribbled back beyond the four-point line, dribbled right, then drew a foul from NLEX defender Javee Mocon while attempting a shot from 27 feet with 3.4 ticks remaining.
Hollis-Jefferson then heads to the charity stripe, each freebie a dangling opportunity to knot the count.
The former NBA player, who is no stranger to pressure-filled moments like this one, canned the first two free throws.
His third, however, went short, forcing him to miss the fourth one to get another shot for a lifeline.
So he raced towards the basket, secured the offensive rebound and scored the potential game-tying putback. He, however, was called for a loose ball foul on, incidentally, Mocon, while doing all that.
Mocon, with a chance to make up for his earlier mistake, split his free throws to seal the win.
“It was hard for both teams. They really had to grind for every point and every possession,” said NLEX head coach Jong Uichico.
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DeQuan Jones gained the spotlight in the end, with the Road Warriors reinforcement's game-best 38 points and 12 rebounds making him the Best Player of the Game.
Jones believed that their Game 2 thriller was one that enthralled fans.
"That's why we play the game. Fans are into it, those at home and those in attendance really enjoyed the game. This is why you play the game," Jones said.
Robert Bolick backed up Jones with 16 points, none bigger than the three-point play in the 2:10 mark of the fourth period that gave the team a 90-87 cushion.
After that, NLEX would only score three shots from the charity stripe, but those were just enough to get the much-needed equalizer.
“They stayed in the game just enough to get this victory,” Uichico added.
Game 3 is set on Sunday, Sept. 29, at the Ynares Sports Center in Antipolo.
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The Scores:
NLEX 93 – Jones 38, Bolick 16, Herndon 8, Amer 6, Valdez 5, Rodger 4, Policarpio 4, Anthony 4, Nermal 3, Mocon 3, Miranda 2, Semerad 0, Nieto 0, Torres 0.
TNT 90 – Hollis-Jefferson 22, Castro 19, Pogoy 19, Nambatac 11, Oftana 9, Aurin 6, Khobuntin 2, Williams 2, Galinato 0, Heruela 0, Reyes 0, Erram 0.
Quarterscores: 24-21, 40-40, 69-64, 93-90