No Ali Peek. No Jimmy Alapag. An unfit Ranidel de Ocampo, Harvey Carey, and Ryan Reyes.

Somehow, the Tropang Texters are so deep that someone always comes forward to deliver.

Jared Dillinger hit two booming three-point shots in the final 1:12 of the match, and the defending champions survived Powerade, 95-86, to claim a piece of the lead in the PBA Philippine Cup at the Araneta Coliseum.

It was a victory accomplished not only via the hard way but through emotions as well. The Texters lost Peek after the TNT big man was shot in the nape Monday night by a still unidentified gunman after a training session at the RFM Gym in Mandaluyong City.

This one was particularly for their quiet inside operator, who has already been pronounced stable. Peek is currently at Medical City awaiting decisions from doctors whether operation is needed to remove the bullet that lodged millimeters away from his spine and mandible.

“When we were down by 10 or 12 points in the third quarter, I told them “how are we going to visit Ali? How? If we lose this game how are we going to visit him?’” said TNT coach Chot Reyes.

Yet despite the victory, it came with a steep price.

Reyes was rushed to the hospital after the game to diagnose whether he has suffered an ACL or MCL injury. Reyes banged into Doug Kramer in the fourth quarter, dropped to the floor, and absorbed the full weight of Kramer who likewise crashed on the court.

Indeed, Talk ‘N Text was pushed to the limit. The Texters were only up by 89-86 when Dillinger hit a triple to make it an 92-86 ballgame.

After Gary David was blocked by Jason Castro in the next possession, Dillinger again drained a three-point basket with 47 seconds to go, the shot that sealed the outcome.

“We won this game but we lost another guy,” said Chot Reyes, referring to Reyes.

Japeth Aguilar also provided a big contribution, scoring 21 points, grabbing 13 rebounds, and swatting four shots. Dillinger finished with 18 while Castro scored 12 for Talk ’N Text.

The loss, the Tigers’ fifth in eight games, negated the brilliant effort of rookie Marcio Lassiter, who had 24 points, 16 coming in the first half. David ended with 21.

Relegated into the shade of Talk ’N Text’s victory was Petron’s 102-77 romp over winless Shopinas.com earlier, a game that provided a clear glimpse of how potent the Boosters’ defense is when taken seriously.

Arwind Santos and Joseph Yeo presided over a 21-0 blast, and the Boosters, ahead by only 46-43 at halftime, swiftly altered the complexion of the contest with a commanding 67-43 advantage the Clickers had no chance of overcoming.

It was the second straight win and the fifth overall in eight games for Petron, which repeated over Shopinas.com. The Boosters defeated the Clickers on Oct. 16, 98-87 with Santos collecting 21 rebounds and 16 points.

While the victory was pre-ordained, the game took an interesting twist when Shopinas.com gave Petron a difficult time in the first half.

The Clickers rallied from a 30-18 deficit and cut the gap to just only one (44-43) on a basket by Khazim Mirza.

But whatever determination Shopinas.com had in the first two periods vanished into thin air after the break. The Boosters kicked off a run-and-gun game and dominated the boards to finally create the separation they desired.

“We had an excellent opening quarter but we relaxed in the second,” said Petron coach Ato Agustin. “Good thing we played good defense in the third. We can’t win games if we relax.

“Our goal now is to improve on our standing and we have to be ready because we’re playing Rain or Shine next. Our transition defense will be tested.”   Petron faces Rain or Shine on Nov. 13.

Santos scored 18 points and pulled down 11 rebounds for Petron while Joseph Yeo, who had a brilliant 27-point, eight-rebound effort against Alaska last Saturday, and Alex Cabagnot each added 16 points. Rey Guevarra and and Denok Miranda contributed 12 points apiece.