Road Warriors stay strong after Jones injury, outlast Tropang 5G in O

NLEX overcame the emotional blow of losing DeQuan Jones to a gruesome leg injury and rallied past TNT, 118-111, in overtime to get back on track in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Season 50 Governors’ Cup on Tuesday night at the Ynares Center.

The Road Warriors appeared to lose momentum after Jones suffered a fractured leg with 7:27 left in the third quarter, allowing TNT to take control.

NLEX regrouped in the closing stages, however, with Robert Bolick drilling a crucial four-pointer late in regulation to force overtime before LJ Gonzales and Tony Semerad took over in the extra period.

The Road Warriors closed overtime on a decisive 9-2 run to secure the victory.

The win lifted NLEX to 7-1 and kept the Road Warriors atop Group A. According to league statistics chief Fidel Mangonon III, NLEX also became the first team to secure a playoff berth.

Bolick finished with 27 points, five rebounds, and eight assists, while Gonzales delivered a career-best 26 points.

The rookie guard from Far Eastern University came alive late, scoring 14 points combined in the fourth quarter and overtime, including six in the extra period as he stepped up following Jones’ injury.

"LJ was huge down the stretch," said NLEX coach Jimmy Alapag. "Just making big play after big play and I think LJ's putting the PBA on notice that we're not just a team with two guards, but we also have another star in the making coming up."

Jones had 23 points before his night ended abruptly. The 36-year-old Georgia native had been on track for another strong performance before suffering the injury.

Alapag admitted the incident was difficult to process, especially after spending time with Jones just a day earlier.

"My deepest prayers go out to DJ," Alapag said. "More than the basketball player, it's the person. Him and I just had lunch yesterday. His value to this team goes far beyond what he does on the basketball court."

"It's heartbreaking to see him go down but I'm so proud of my guys," he added. "I told them when DJ went down, that the best thing we can do to honor what he means to this team is to come out and fight for the rest of the game."

Deschon Winston and JB Bahio added 11 points apiece, with the pair combining for 13 rebounds.

NLEX could potentially be forced to play without an import when it faces Converge on Friday at the SMART Araneta Coliseum. Alapag said the team will assess its options given the short turnaround.

"I'll get our staff together, kasama 'yung management and try to figure out what to do, kasi 'yung next game namin is Friday so medyo bitin yung time," said Alapag, a former NBA player development coach. "But we'll do the best we can."

"But right now, all of our thoughts and prayers are with DJ. Big-time loss for our team but we'll try to find somebody who can fill that void," he added.

TNT was led by Rahlir Hollis-Jefferson with 30 points and 13 rebounds, while Rey Nambatac added 28 points and five rebounds.

Jordan Heading contributed 17 points and seven assists, while Roger Pogoy and Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser scored 15 apiece for the defending conference champions.

TNT had a chance to take control after Pogoy tied the game at 109-all with 3:31 remaining in overtime.

NLEX responded immediately, with Bolick finding Semerad open in the corner for a three-pointer that restored the Road Warriors' lead at 112-109.

The Road Warriors then tightened their defense as TNT struggled to generate offense, allowing NLEX to pull away with a 7-2 finishing run.

The victory allowed NLEX to bounce back from its surprising loss to Terrafirma and maintain its position atop Group A.