PBA FINALS: TNT escapes SMB’s late push to draw first blood

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

The TNT Tropang 5G survived the San Miguel Beermen’s late rally to take Game 1 of the PBA Philippine Cup Finals, 96–91, on Jan. 21, 2026, at the Ynares Center.

After leading by as much as 19 points, TNT figured in a tricky and dangerous situation when the Beermen pulled to within just a point, 92–91, in the final 21.4 seconds of the game.

Down by five points with only 37 seconds left, San Miguel was close to giving TNT a dose of its own medicine after scoring a momentum-boosting 4–0 run, courtesy of Jericho Cruz’s back-to-back paint baskets.

The Tropang 5G breathed a sigh of relief after Jordan Heading knocked down both of his free throws to increase their cushion to three points, 94–91.

San Miguel had the chance to equalize the thriller, but Don Trollano’s three-point attempt from the top of the key was well-defended by Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser, who didn’t bite on the shot fake to establish footing.

Heading then iced the game with another perfect trip to the charity stripe after he was fouled by Cruz inside the final six seconds of the game.

TNT immediately ran the show in full high-definition display after outworking San Miguel on both ends of the floor to mount a 19-point advantage midway through the second quarter.

However, the Beermen didn’t back down, weaving their magic in the second half led by the trio of June Mar Fajardo, Moala Tautuaa and CJ Perez.

San Miguel’s duo of Cruz and Trollano waxed hot in the fourth, but TNT countered with timely conversions from Rosser and scoring machine Calvin Oftana.

The nail-biting finish came down to the wire as expected, but the Tropang 5G got the last laugh to bag a 1-0 lead in the championship series of the All-Filipino Conference.

It was a balanced offensive attack orchestrated by the Tropang 5G, spearheaded by former league MVP Kelly Williams, who tallied 15 points, nine rebounds and three assists.

Backstopping TNT’s veteran power forward was Oftana, who stuffed the stat sheet with 13 points, 10 rebounds and five assists, while Rey Nambatac added 11 points, five rebounds and six assists.

Can TNT pull off another consistent outing? Or will the hungry Beermen get on board and successfully pull off a rebound win?

All questions will be answered on Jan. 23, 2026, as both franchises meet again for Game 2 of the PBA Philippine Cup grand finals.