TNT survives Macau rally to begin Governors’ Cup title defense with a win

Defending champion TNT survived a late scare from Macau to open its Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Season 50 Governors’ Cup campaign with a hard-earned 106-103 victory on Sunday at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.

The Tropang 5G looked poised for a comfortable victory after building a 15-point advantage with less than three minutes remaining, but the Giant Pandas refused to fold and turned the closing moments into a dramatic finish.

Macau closed the gap with a 14-1 surge, cutting TNT’s lead to just three points with 4.5 seconds left. Damian Chongqui had an opportunity to bring the Giant Pandas within one, but he split his free throws, allowing the Tropang 5G to maintain their slim advantage.

TNT’s Rey Nambatac then also missed one of two free-throw attempts in the final seconds, giving Macau a final chance. However, Liu Xucheng’s hurried halfcourt heave failed to find the target, allowing TNT to escape with the victory.

Despite securing the win, TNT head coach Chot Reyes admitted his team’s finish left much to be desired.

"Obviously you can't be satisfied with an ending like that. But at the same time, we knew we were going to struggle—no. 1 kulang kami sa players.

And no. 2, this was our first tuneup game—ni hindi kami nakapag-tuneup in the offseason because we opted to rest, recover."

Reyes explained that the Tropang 5G entered the conference dealing with injuries and without any preseason games after choosing to prioritize recovery following their Commissioner's Cup Finals series against Barangay Ginebra.

Nambatac led TNT’s balanced attack with 23 points, six assists, three rebounds, a steal, and a block, earning Player of the Game honors. The veteran guard said he entered the new conference determined to bounce back after a difficult previous campaign.

"'Yung last conference ko was a wakeup call, an eye-opener na rin para sa akin. Sabi ko, hindi pwedeng ganun. So I need to step up and ibalik ko 'yung usual na laro ko and dito mag-iistart 'yun sa conference na 'to."

New import Darius Days matched Nambatac’s 23-point output while adding six rebounds in his PBA debut, while Roger Pogoy chipped in 21 points. Glenn Khobuntin also provided a strong contribution with 11 points.

TNT will aim to extend its winning streak when it faces Titan Ultra on Tuesday, July 22, at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.

Macau remained winless at 0-4 despite another outstanding showing from import De’Vondre Perry, who posted a game-high 36 points and 10 rebounds.

Chongqui added 24 points and eight assists, while Ramon Cao recorded a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds. Kobey Lam also finished with 14 points in the defeat.