NLEX extends unbeaten run to 6-0 with win over TNT

NLEX Road Warriors’ DeQuan Jones during a game vs TNT Tropang 5G in the 2026 PBA Governors’ Cup. –PBA IMAGES

MANILA, Philippines—NLEX kept its record unblemished in the 2026 PBA Governors’ Cup after turning back a depleted TNT side, 88-83, at Ninoy Aquino Stadium on Tuesday night.

The Road Warriors improved to a league-best 6-0 in Group A, completing a first-round sweep of the double-round robin eliminations.

“He (Jimmy Alapag) just preached patience. We just had to weather the storm. We didn’t like how they started with their rebounds so we had to keep them off the glass to weather the storm,” import DeQuan Jones said.

JIMMY GETS ONE UP OVER CHOT ☝️

NLEX coach Jimmy Alapag talks about his win over TNT and former coach Chot Reyes.

Reyes mentored Alapag for a long time during their Talk N’ Text days in the 2010’s. #PBA50 | @MeloFuertesINQ pic.twitter.com/hX5YkmRYge

— INQUIRER Sports (@inquirersports) August 4, 2026

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“We knew coming in that they would throw different looks at us and take away our plays and slow us down a little bit. It was just a matter of initiating our offensive sets on the half court.”

NLEX had to fend off one final push from TNT,  which was down by as much as 17 but trimmed the deficit to 85-83 on a Rahlir Hollis-Jefferson basket with 2:12 remaining.

Try as they might, the Tropang 5G never got any closer as Schonny Winston calmly knocked down two free throws with 17 seconds left to stretch their lead to 87-83.

Jones dominated anew for NLEX with 27 points and seven rebounds. LJ Gonzales and Robert Bolick chipped in 11 and 10 points, respectively.

Hollis-Jefferson tallied a double-double of 22 points and 10 rebounds for the Tropang 5G, who dropped to 3-3 playing without its core players due to injuries.

The troika of Rey Nambatac, Glenn Khobuntin and Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser, meanwhile, all had 13 points each.