Tropang 5G escape Giant Pandas

MANILA, Philippines — The TNT Tropang 5G weathered a storm from the winless Macau Giant Pandas, 106-103, to usher in their PBA Governors’ Cup title defense on a high Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. 

TNT saw its 18-point lead shrink to just two points late but held on against the gritty guest team. 

Rey Nambatac and import Darius Days led the charge for the Tropang 5G with 23 points each. The former also had six dimes, three boards, a steal and a swat, while the latter produced six rebounds and three assists. RR Pogoy finished with 21 markers. 

TNT led by as much as 18 points, 101-83, with 4:51 remaining in the game after a triple by Pogoy. 

And while Macau kept on swinging, an and-one play by Nambatac pushed their lead to 15, 104-89, with 3:19 left. 

But 12 straight points by the Giant Pandas, capped by a pair of free throws by De’Vondre Perry, made it a three-point game, 101-104, with 25.3 seconds to go. 

The game then turned to a free throw shooting contest late.

A split from the line by Pogoy kept a window open for Macau, and Damian Chong Qui was fouled on the other end to prevent the Giant Pandas from attempting a 4-pointer. 

Chong Qui made the first but missed the second, but he was able to grab the rebound.

He split his freebies anew to make it a 103-105 contest with 4.1 seconds to go. 

Nambatac then connected on the first but missed the second. Xucheng Li grabbed the rebound and he attempted a heave, but his shot was too far left as time expired. 

Glenn Khobuntin added 11 points for the winning team.

Perry flexed his muscles with 36 points to go with 10 rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block for Macau. Chong Qui added 24, while Ramon Cao and Kobey Lam had 14 each.

The Giant Pandas rolled to their fourth straight loss in the conference.