Phoenix adds to woes of still-winless TNT

MANILA, Philippines — The slump continues for the TNT Tropang 5G.

TNT's road to a Grand Slam continues to be rocky as the Tropang 5G absorbed a 95-81 defeat to the Phoenix Fuel Masters in their PBA Philippine Cup matchup Friday at the Ynares Center in Montalban.

In a battle of win-hungry teams, Phoenix came up on top as they shot 12-of-20 from beyond the arc.

Jason Perkins led the Fuel Masters with 27 points, six rebounds and three assists.Tyler Tio added 16 markers, while Ken Tuffin and Kai Ballungay had 11 apiece.

Phoenix banked on a strong start, going up by 14 points, 28-14, at the end of the first.

The onslaught continued in the second quarter as Fuel Masters took a 24-point advantage, 50-26, after a pair of free throws by Ato Ular.

TNT tried to mount a comeback, but Phoenix was simply too hot to handle, leading by as many as 26 points, 86-60, after an and-one play by Simon Camacho.

The 14-point lead at the end of the game was the nearest TNT got to.

RJ Jazul chipped in 10 points for the Fuel Masters while RR Garcia had eight.

In total, Phoenix made 32 of their 66 shots, good for 48.5%. TNT, for its part, made just 31 of 78 attempts.

Calvin Oftana carried the load for the Tropang 5G with 20 points, nine rebounds, six assists and a steal. Simon Enciso added 14 points while Rey Nambatac and RR Pogoy had 12 and 10, respectively.

The Fuel Masters rose to 2-3 in the conference while TNT dropped to 0-3.

“We're just taking our lessons from our losses. We're just staying in the moment, focus on our next practice now,” Perkins said after the game.

“I always say you win some, you learn some. So lessons with every downfall. So we're just gonna move forward from here.”

The Tropang 5G will try to break its slump against San Miguel on Sunday, while Phoenix will return to action next Sunday, May 11, also against the Beermen.