MANILA, Philippines – TNT swingman Anthony Semerad downplayed his strong showing for the KaTropa on Sunday, when he scored 22 points in a 117-106 victory over the NLEX Road Warriors in the 2018 PBA Commissioner's Cup.

Semerad scored half of his points in the third period, when he knocked down three triples and converted a lay-up to help the KaTropa stay ahead in the face of NLEX's rally.

Most of his three-pointers were wide open, as Semerad pounced on his bigger albeit slower defenders who were often late to rotate to him in the perimeter.

"(We played) Tony Semerad at the 4 (power forward spot), because we feel that's something we will be needing in the future," explained TNT coach Nash Racela after the game.

Semerad made six of his nine attempts from beyond the arc. TNT, as a team, made 13 of 31 triples for a superb 41.9% rate.

• PBA: TNT outguns NLEX to force tie for first place

For Semerad, playing the power forward spot is something that he welcomes.

"We have to get used to it," he admitted. "But in practice, in scrimmages, I've been playing it a lot, so I guess I'm getting used to it, in the positioning and the different movements than the three."

"It's okay, I like it," he added.

With Semerad playing the four-spot, TNT import Joshua Smith had all the space he needed to work inside the paint. The hulking import responded by making nine of his 10 field goals for 24 points.

The victory gave TNT a share of the first place in the conference, but Semerad warned that the KaTropa "can't get comfortable."

"We have to keep on coming to practice every day and train hard," he said. "Just keep on working every day."

"It's still a long way to go, so sana we can keep winning every game, and keep playing hard," he added.

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