TNT rout Macau 142-87 as Rondae Hollis-Jefferson scores 22 in his return and Jio Jalalon posts a triple-double

Ten months after his right Achilles gave out, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson played basketball again. He finished with 22 points on 10-of-22 shooting, six rebounds, five assists, two steals and no turnovers in about 22 minutes as TNT beat Macau 142-87 at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium on Tuesday in the PBA Governors' Cup.

It was TNT's third straight win and the second time in a week that Macau lost by more than 50. TNT moved to 7-4, third in Group A behind NLEX (8-2) and San Miguel Beer (7-3). Macau fell to 2-9 with a fifth straight loss.

Hollis-Jefferson is a three-time Best Import, and TNT won the title in all three of those conferences: the 2023 and 2024 Governors' Cups and the 2024-25 Commissioner's Cup. He ruptured the tendon on December 6, 2025, playing for Meralco against the Macau Black Bears in the East Asia Super League. TNT activated him on Monday in place of Nick Hornsby, the fourth import the team has used this conference. Oftana called him "a trusted import."

A close first quarter

Macau stayed in it for 12 minutes. TNT led only 28-21 after the first quarter.

The middle quarters

Then TNT pulled away. The Tropang 5G won the second quarter 36-19 to lead 64-40 at half-time, and the third 38-18 to lead 102-58 going into the fourth.

Calvin Oftana did the most damage. He scored a team-high 28 points on 11-of-14 shooting, 5 of 7 from three. Poy Erram, back from a long layoff, added 15 points and eight rebounds off the bench.

Jio Jalalon filled every column. He finished with 11 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists in 22 minutes for a triple-double.

A 61-point lead

TNT kept scoring in the fourth. The lead reached 61 at 132-71 with 4:35 left, close to the 60-point margin NLEX set against Macau on October 7, the biggest winning margin in PBA history. TNT won the fourth quarter 40-29.

Lopez finished with 43 points and 10 rebounds, with eight turnovers. Lao Chon Pong scored 14 and Kobey Lam 13.

Elsewhere on Tuesday

In the second game at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium, Meralco beat Blackwater 120-115 behind 31 points from import Jordon Varnado, who also had seven rebounds, seven assists and no turnovers. Meralco led by as many as 20 before Blackwater came back with Sedrick Barefield scoring 31 and Kentrell Barkley 29. The Bolts moved to 4-5, fourth in Group B, and Blackwater fell to 3-5.

Scoring

TNT 142-87 Macau

TNT: Calvin Oftana 28, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson 22, Poy Erram 15, Jio Jalalon 11, Jordan Heading 11, Henry Galinato 11, Kim Aurin 10, Simon Enciso 9, Rey Nambatac 8, Jeo Ambohot 6, Roger Pogoy 6, Paul Varilla 5, Sean Quitevis 0, Joe Celzo 0, Jayson Castro 0.

Macau: Oscar Lopez 43, Lao Chon Pong 14, Kobey Lam 13, Liu 4, Sun 4, Chen Li-hsing 3, Chao Xingzhao 2, Lu Zijie 2, Zhu Zhaojing 2, Zhang 0.

By quarter: TNT 28, 36, 38, 40. Macau 21, 19, 18, 29.

What is next

TNT close group play against Converge on Sunday, October 18, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, with a better quarterfinal seed at stake.