By REYNALD MAGALLON
TNT overcame a late scare from Macau and eked out a 106-103 victory to open its title-retention bid in the PBA Season 50 Governors’ Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Sunday, July 19.
The Tropang 5G looked poised to easily take the win after establishing a 104-89 lead in the waning minutes but the Giant Pandas rallied back into the contest behind a 14-1 rally spearheaded by Damian Chongqui.
Macau came too close for comfort and cut the lead down to just two, 103-105, before a Rey Nambatac free throw sealed the deal for the Tropang 5G.
Nambatac stepped up in the absence of key players for TNT, finishing with 23 points and six assists while Darius Days had 23 points and six rebounds.
RR Pogoy also added 21 while Glen Khobuntin chipped in 11 the Tropang 5G, who played without Calvin Oftana, Jayson Castro, Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser and Kelly Williams.
Meanwhile,
