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Sidelined last season due to a groin injury, Rey Nambatac makes up for lost time as he steers TNT back to its triumphant ways after it fell short of a rare Grand Slam
RIZAL, Philippines – Rey Nambatac picked where he left off in his first PBA game in months as TNT began its redemption campaign in the Philippine Cup on the right track with a 93-78 win over Phoenix at the Ynares Center in Montalban on Friday, October 10.
Sidelined last season due to a groin injury he sustained in May, Nambatac finished with 22 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists in his return to steer the Tropang 5G back to their triumphant ways after they fell short of a rare Grand Slam when they lost to San Miguel in the All-Filipino finals in July.
“This was something that I really prepared for. Huge shoutout to all of my teammates because they pushed me hard during our training camp,” said Nambatac in Filipino. “To be honest, I was out of shape. I had a hard time in the beginning, but then again, I had the opportunity to recover.”
“I got my rhythm and timing back, and now, they are paying off.”
Hoping to sustain its success after its two titles last season, TNT picked up veterans Kevin Ferrer and Jio Jalalon, who were part of the special Gilas Pilipinas draft in 2016 that also featured current Tropang 5G star Roger Pogoy.
And the two quickly made their presence felt, with Ferrer firing 12 points on a 4-of-5 clip from three-point land and Jalalon tallying 4 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 assists as he played 24 minutes, with top TNT guard Jordan Heading out due to illness.
“They’re a big help. I think the important thing is they play the role that we had in mind for them,” said Tropang 5G head coach Chot Reyes. “Hopefully, they can continue to learn our way of doing things. We’re looking to get them even more into the flow of our defense and offense.”
Winners in the Leo Awards for last season, Calvin Oftana (First Mythical Team), Glenn Khobuntin (All-Defensive Team), and Pogoy (Second Mythical Team) also played key roles in the victory.
Oftana churned out 15 points and 9 rebounds, Khobuntin put up 9 points and 9 rebounds, while Pogoy produced 8 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals.
Jason Perkins paced the Fuel Masters with 12 points and 8 rebounds in the loss the marked the PBA head coaching debut of former player Willy Wilson.
Tyler Tio (12 points), Kai Ballungay (11 points), and Kenneth Tuffin (10 points) all finished in double figures for Phoenix.
The Scores
TNT 93 – Nambatac 22, Oftana 15, Enciso 12, Ferrer 12, Khobuntin 9, Pogoy 8, Galinato 8, Jalalon 4, Williams 3, Hill 0.
Phoenix 78 – Tio 12, Perkins 12, Ballungay 11, Tuffin 10, Nelle 9, Rivero 8, Santos 6, Manganti 5, Jazul 3, Taha 2, Caperal 0.
Quarters: 22-21, 45-42, 66-56, 93-78.
– Rappler.com
