Close Game 2 loss the motivating factor in TNT's Game 3 win over SMB, says Reyes

TNT head coach Chot Reyes shared that their Game 2 loss served as motivation in their 115-98 win over San Miguel in Game 3 of their best-of-seven semifinal clash Friday in the 2021 PBA Philippine Cup in Pampanga.

In their loss last Wednesday, the Tropang Giga were able to build a lead as big as 19 points at the 1:43 mark of the third quarter after Jayson Castro split his free throws, 80-61. However, they blew that lead and eventually lost the game after Marcio Lassiter drove to the basket for a game-winning layup, 98-96.

And heading into the next game, Reyes reminded his wards that they needed to play the game until the very last second.

"Actually we were very sad [and] disappointed after the Game 2 loss," Reyes said following their victory in Game 3.

"We were hurt by the loss but in the end, it's still the same and we're 1-all. So we agreed to just look forward to Game 3 and figure out how we can be better and we cannot be better than this team in terms of talent and size so we just focus on putting in better effort."

En route to their 2-1 series lead, a number of players stepped up for TNT as they continued playing without veteran big man Kelly Williams, who is currently under the league's safety and health protocols.

Poy Erram played a pivotal role, posting a double-double of 21 points and 13 rebounds while RR Pogoy took over the offensive charge with his 26 markers, three assists, and four steals in 34 minutes of action.

Rookie Mikey Williams also regained his form, registering 21 points, five boards, and five dimes.

"What Coach Chot is always telling us is that we have one man down but a basketball team isn't only about one player. We have so many players in the team so if one player is down, the others have to step up," shared Erram.

Reyes added that he credits his players for responding to the challenge of playing the full game against a tall and talented SMB side, especially now that they are vying for a 3-1 lead come Game 4 on Sunday at 2 p.m.

"We just talked about playing for 48 minutes. Our focus was to play a full 48 minutes and they responded."

—JMB, GMA News