Meralco suffers major blow as Chris Newsome will miss Game 5 due to MCL sprain

The TNT Tropang Giga moved one win away from securing a spot in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Philippine Cup Finals after dismantling the Meralco Bolts, 102-83, in Game 4 on Sunday, January 11, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena. The victory gave TNT a commanding 3–1 lead in the best-of-seven semifinal series.

Central to TNT’s win was Poy Erram, who delivered his strongest performance of the conference, anchoring the Tropang Giga with 27 points on an efficient 9-of-11 shooting, while also adding nine rebounds and two assists. Jordan Heading and Calvin Oftana provided additional firepower with 15 and 14 points, respectively, helping TNT seize control early and maintain it throughout the game.

Meralco, meanwhile, struggled without their star player and captain Chris Newsome, who missed the game due to a medial collateral ligament (MCL) sprain on his left knee. Newsome confirmed he will also miss Game 5.

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“Right now it’s just going through the recovery process, taking the precautions I need to do for me to be able to get back on the court. So listening to the team doctors and the team physicians and just taking it one step at a time till I am able to get back on the court,” Newsome told reporters.

The 35-year-old guard added that he expects to be sidelined for at least three to five weeks, depending on how his injury heals.

“There is a possibility it could be shorter, depending on the severity of the sprain. Right now we are just waiting for the inflammation to go down a bit. And I will be able to clear things up to where we have a better timeline for my return.

#WATCH: JUST GOING THROUGH THE RECOVER PROCESS 🏀

Chris Newsome is taking it one step at a time as he recovers from an MCL sprain#ReadMore 👉 https://t.co/cbI1SFALac

📹 @justinebacnis /Tiebreaker Times#PBA50 pic.twitter.com/DsEwY0WXhJ

— Tiebreaker Times (@tiebreakertimes) January 11, 2026

“Game 5 that will be a tough one to try to reach. But it does help that we have an extra day between the game. So, I will be doing my share of recovery work from now until Wednesday so I can get out on the court. But it’s already a good sign I am able to work and stand on my own,” he added.

Meralco head coach Luigi Trillo also confirmed Newsome’s status, noting that the situation “doesn’t look too good.”

“You know, the MRI showed that it’s clear. But at this point, I think his priority has to be his health. We will see. So, I don’t see him playing the next game also. If ever, it might be next week,” Trillo said.

Despite the injury setback, both Newsome and Trillo remain confident that Meralco can stage a comeback in the semifinal series.

“It’s gonna take a complete team effort to try to get this, to try to turn this thing around. But again, it’s not impossible. It’s just gonna be really tough. We just gotta take it one possession at a time, one game at a time,” Newsome said.

“We have to be better. It’s not over. We have to just focus on that next Wednesday game. We have to do things better,” Trillo added.

Meralco will look to bounce back in Game 5, scheduled for Wednesday, January 14, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, hoping to extend the series and keep their Finals hopes alive.

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