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NLEX faces hot TNT Katropa
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Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
LIKE iron that has to become stronger, TNT Katropa has gone through fire.
It’s now a matter of the Texters riding the momentum gained from those victories when they tackle sister team NLEX Wednesday in the PBA Governors Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
After absorbing back-to-back losses NLEX is bristling to get back on track, but must do so against a TNT squad that has shown its vaunted fortitude of old in escaping the clutches of such fancied teams as Rain or Shine, Meralco and Alaska by a combined score of eight points.
Yet Texters coach Jong Uichico is not one to ease up on the pedal, not when at least a share of the lead is at stake.
“We cannot let our guard down,” said Uichico.
That is exactly what NLEX counterpart Boyet Fernandez expects. “We are facing a tough game, especially with the way TNT had been playing in their last three games,” he said, before baring a basic gameplan.
“We have to limit the production of (Jayson) Castro, (Michael) Mandanly, (Moa) Tautuaa, (Ranidel) De Ocampo, (Ryan) Reyes and (Mario) Little so that we can give ourselves a chance to beat TNT. Our defense is our key to win,” stated Fernandez.
Little is the lowest-scoring among the current crop of American imports with only a 14.67 ppg average, topped even by fellow reinforcement Madanly of Syria’s 15.3. Additional scoring sock has been provided most by Castro, who has a 23.0 ppg norm. Tautuaa and De Ocampo also help out by combining for 25.6 points an outing.
Aside from a teamhigh 9.0 rebounds a night, there is another area Little could help in and that is helping contain NLEX counterpart Henry Walker, the former Alaska import who marked his return by torching Blackwater for 44 points and is now scoring at a 31.67 clip.
The Road Warriors’ interior defense and rebounding should also be bolstered by the return of Asi Taulava from the one-game suspension he served out in the team’s 74-85 loss to Barangay Ginebra last week.
With the likes of Jonas Villanueva, Sean Anthony, Mac Baracael and Palestinian Rodrigue Akl in the mix, Fernandez has the tools to thwart TNT.
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