MANILA — With a healthy Jayson Castro back, the TNT KaTropa Texters showed their full potential, demolishing Phoenix Fuel Masters, 134-109, for their first win in two outings in the 2017 PBA Commissioner's Cup Sunday night. Although scoring only 10 points, Castro dished out a team-high 14 assists as he brilliantly orchestrated TNT's offense. Import Lou Amundson played his last PBA game, delivering a team-high 20 points, eight rebounds, two blocks, one assist, and one steal in 30 minutes for TNT. The Texters signed up the NBA veteran for just two games. He will be replaced by fellow NBA veteran Donte Greene, TNT's first-choice import. Ranidel De Ocampo and Troy Rosario scored 18 points apiece while rookie Roger Pogoy added 17 markers. Mo Tautuaa had 14 while Kelly Williams and Ryan Reyes added 12 and 10 points, respectively. The Texters broke the game wide open in the third quarter, scoring 20 points in just five minutes and 41 points in total to take a commanding 79-58 lead. TNT led by as many as 35 points and dished out a whopping 38 assists. Phoenix suffered its second straight loss after an opening game victory when the prolific Eugene Phelps was still its import. His replacement, Jameel Mckay, led the Fuel Masters for the second straight game, tallying a game-high 31 points on top of 11 boards, four blocks, one steal, and one assist that all went down the drain. Cyrus Baguio added 17 markers while Karl Dehesa and Doug Kramer chipped in 12 points apiece. Rain or Shine 95, Blackwater 88 Jay Washington nailed back-to-back three-pointers late in the game, his only baskets for the night, to lift the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters to a 95-88 victory over the Blackwater Elite. It was the Painters' third straight victory as ROS tied Meralco on top of the standings. The loss, its third straight, sent Blackwater crashing to the bottom of the standings. After the Elite took the lead, 87-84, with three minutes and 40 seconds left, the Painters went on an 11-1 run, sparked by Washington's two triples, for the win. Import Shawn Taggart paced ROS with 26 points and 12 boards in 41 minutes. Jericho Cruz and Maverick Ahanmisi added 12 points apiece while James Yap chipped in 11 markers, including two three-pointers for the Painters. Import Greg Smith carried the brunt of the scoring and defensive load for the Elite, finishing with 34 points, 20 boards, and three assists in the loss. Reil Cervantes chipped in 12 markers, while Kyle Pascual added 10 points and six boards. Games Wednesday: Alaska Aces (2-0) vs. Mahindra Floodbuster (1-2) and Rain or Shine Elasto Painters (2-0) vs. Meralco Bolts (3-0).
