NLEX needed every last tick of the clock to stay perfect. The Road Warriors survived a furious fourth-quarter push from a shorthanded TNT Tropang 5G squad to escape with an 88-83 win Tuesday night, August 4, at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium, completing a flawless 6-0 sweep of the first round in the PBA Season 50 Governors’ Cup eliminations.

DeQuan Jones and company saw a commanding 17-point lead nearly slip away in the second half, but a timely defensive stop and a clutch free throw in the final seconds were enough to keep NLEX unbeaten and alone atop the standings.

Winston’s Hustle Play and Bolick’s Free Throw Seal the Deal

TNT’s defense turned the game into a dogfight down the stretch. After trailing by as many as 17 points, the Tropang 5G clawed back to make it 65-70 entering the final quarter and stayed within striking distance until the closing seconds.

The turning point came when Schonny Winston hustled a loose ball away from Kim Aurin, setting up Robert Bolick to convert a clutch free throw with just 1.7 seconds remaining to put the game away.

“A lot of credit goes to TNT. They have a group that play extremely hard. They kind of made our game sloppy with their hustles. They’re super active on defense with all five players on the floor,” said NLEX coach Jimmy Alapag, who also got the better of his former team and former coach Chot Reyes in the process.

The result dropped TNT to a 3-3 record, tied for third in Group A with idle Converge, while NLEX climbed to 6-0 and San Miguel Beer sat behind at 4-2.

Jones Leads the Charge as NLEX Stays Perfect Through Six Games

Jones bannered NLEX’s title bid with 27 points and six rebounds, anchoring the Road Warriors’ bid to stay undefeated through the first round.

“We knew coming in that they’re a scrappy bunch and we’re to weather a storm pretty much. And it’s about patience,” Jones said.

LJay Gonzales chipped in 11 points, while Bolick added 10 to go with his decisive late free throw. On the other end, Rahlir Hollis-Jefferson led all TNT scorers with 22 points, while Rey Nambatac, Glenn Khobuntin and Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser each put up 13 in a losing effort.

TNT remained without four key players in Jayson Castro, RR Pogoy, Calvin Oftana and Kelly Williams, yet still pushed NLEX to the brink after previously stringing together back-to-back wins over Converge and San Miguel Beer before falling to the Road Warriors.

With the win, NLEX stands alone as the PBA’s only unbeaten team heading into the second round of the Governors’ Cup, a perfect record built on both firepower and, as Tuesday night proved, the poise to survive a scare.