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| Rey Nambatac took charge on behalf of TNT's locals. Peter Baltazar |
QUEZON CITY—TNT held on despite a scare from an upset-seeking Macau squad for a 106-103 win in their PBA Governors' Cup game on Sunday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Tropang 5G was on course to begin their title defense with a blowout win after opening a 104-89 lead with 3:19 to go.
However, the Giant Pandas rallied back and were within two, 103-105, with 4.5 seconds left.
Chao Xingzhao quickly fouled Rey Nambatac with 4.1 seconds to play, and the latter split his charities.
After grabbing the rebound, Liu Xucheng launched a heave from beyond halfcourt that hit nothing but air at the final horn.
Nambatac and Darius Days each had 23 points for TNT, while RR Pogoy put up 21 markers, one rebound, three assists, and one block.
De'Vondre Perry made 36 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, two steals, and one block to lead Macau, which remained winless at 0-4.
Damian Chongqui added 24 points, three rebounds, eight assists, and one steal, while Ramon Cao and Kobey Lam each had 14 markers, with Cao adding 12 boards.
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