Rondae Hollis-Jefferson was his usual impressive self, but he chose to share the spotlight with the rest of the TNT Tropang Giga.
A sweat-drenched Rondae Hollis-Jefferson was still gasping for air when he entered the press room at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay Friday night, March 14.
Just moments ago, Hollis-Jefferson put up a spectacular performance in TNT's 95-89 win over Ginebra in Game 1 of the PBA Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup Finals.
The two-time Best Import finished with 34 points, 13 rebounds, eight assists, a steal and a block.
But he refused to take all the credit and deferred to his teammates for getting the job done in the face of Ginebra's fightback in the second half of the series opener.
“First, I want to give a lot of credit to our guys. We played extremely hard defensively,” said RHJ, who poured the bulk of his offensive output at 23 points in the first half.
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Ginebra tried to rally from 39-57 down in the third, getting to as close as eight points after Justin Brownlee’s technical free throw, 79-87, halfway through the final quarter.
But RHJ made back-to-back jumpers that restored order for the Tropang Giga.
TNT reinforcement Rondae Hollis-Jefferson one-ups Ginebra counterpart Justin Brownlee in Game 1 of the PBA Season 49 Commissioner's Cup Finals. | Photo (c) RM Chua/One Sports
“We talked about it at halftime. We said for sure that Ginebra will make a run so we reminded the players to stay calm,” said head coach Chot Reyes of his wards who built an early separation in the opening period, 29-18, anchored on their eight treys.
“They made a big run, but we came back because the players kept their composure. I think that’s the most important thing. The rest is just our defense forcing them to take difficult shots." he added.
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RR Pogoy scored 15, including three triples in the first quarter.
Calvin Oftana submitted 10 points, nine rebounds and four assists, while Rey Nambatac added 10 points.
The Gin Kings drew 28 points, 15 rebounds and six assists from Justin Brownlee. Scottie Thompson backed him up with 17 points, 13 rebounds, and seven assists.
RJ Abarrientos chipped in 13 markers.
The Scores:
TNT 95 – Hollis-Jefferson 34, Pogoy 15, Oftana 10, Nambatac 10, Williams 8, Khobuntin 8, Erram 5, Aurin 5, Heruela 0, Razon 0.
GINEBRA 89 – Brownlee 28, Thompson 17, Abarrientos 13, Holt 9, J.Aguilar 9, Rosario 8, Gray 3, Malonzo 2, Ahanmisi 0.
Quarterscores: 29-18, 55-39, 80-66, 95-89.