MANILA, June 28 — TNT pulled a huge fourth quarter rally to tie the best-of-seven PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals against San Miguel through a 102-97 Game 4 win at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Wednesday night.
The KaTropa used a 18-5 run late in the payoff period to overturn an 81-86 deficit into a 99-91 lead and did not let the Beermen pull a comeback in the last two minutes of the game.
Joshua Smith led TNT with 20 points, 15 rebounds, two assists, and one steal, while Jayson Castro scored 10 of his 17 points in the final frame including a beautifully executed reverse layup with 1:42 left that turned out to be the dagger basket.
Charles Rhodes, who was named Best Import of the Conference, led SMB with 22 points and eight rebounds, but he was sent off with 1:02 left on accumulated technical fouls.
Chris Ross, who was named the Best Player of the Conference, had a rough night as well, only making eight points on 3-of-9 field goals.
In a rare moment, June Mar Fajardo fouled out of the game and could only rack up 13 points, nine rebounds, and one assist with five turnovers, although he also had one block and two steals.
Game 5 is scheduled on Friday night at the said venue with both teams looking to take a pivotal 3-2 lead in the series. (Ivan Saldajeno/PNA)