KJ McDaniels introduced himself quite nicely.
The prolific TNT import scattered a game-high 41 points to go with 22 rebounds for a double-double to lead the Tropang Texters to a rousing 135-107 rout of Blackwater to post one in the winning column in the 2019 Philippine Basketball Association Governors’ Cup last night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
In fact, the former NBA player already had a double-double in the first half as he spearheaded TNT’s early decisive onslaught.
Local stars RR Pogoy and Jayson Castro did damage, too, scoring 22 and 17 points, respectively, for TNT.
The trio scored 37 of TNT’s 63 first half points as their fiery offense enabled their squad to break the game open early.
Led by McDaniels, who caught fire right away with 13 points in the opening canto, the Tropang Texters were able to erect a comfortable 15-point bubble, 34-19, heading to the second frame.
In the second, TNT hiked its lead to 23 points, 53-30, on a Pogoy jumper halfway in the quarter, enabling the Tropang Texters to breeze the rest of the way for a stellar conference debut.
Troy Rosario and Don Trollano were key cogs for TNT as well, contributing 18 and 17 points, respectively.
The Commissioner’s Cup finalists shot an astounding 65 percent from the field in the first half to carry a 63-46 cushion to halftime.
Blackwater shot an abysmal 37 percent from the floor in the first 24 minutes, causing its early downfall.
The Elite, who struggled mightily all game long, was never in it and was unable to find any rhythm at all.
Bobby Ray Parks’ explosion of 39 points, a career-high, was the lone bright spot for the Elite.
Marqus Blakely’s forgettable night didn’t help either.
The Blackwater import only managed four points while shooting only four times.
