The NLEX Road Warriors dismantled the Macau Giant Pandas, 114-75, on Friday at the Ynares Center in Antipolo to usher in the Jimmy Alapag era with a rousing win to open the team’s PBA Governors’ Cup campaign.
What Happened?
The game got off to an uneven start as both teams struggled in the opening frame, which the Road Warriors won, 18-13. Offense picked up in the second, with NLEX firing 27 to Macau’s 23 for a 45-36 halftime advantage.
Then, NLEX surged ahead after intermission, starting the third with nine unanswered to extend the lead to 54-36. The rout was on from there, as the Road Warriors kept piling on with a high-octane offense that the Giant Pandas simply couldn’t stop. After three, NLEX had zoomed ahead to an 81-58 lead, but Alapag and company didn’t ease off one bit, outscoring Macau 33-17 to complete the dismantling.
Who Stood Out?
Import DeQuan Jones picked up where he left off from his first stint with NLEX, leading the charge with 23 points and 11 rebounds. But there were plenty of heroes all around, with Kevin Alas, in particular, providing a spark off the bench with a 19-point effort. Ljay Gonzales was also a spark, notching 13 points and punctuating the third with a personal 7-0 run to create even more separation for NLEX.
Macau, meanwhile, leaned heavily on the duo of Damian Chong Qui and import De’Vondre Perry. The temperamental Chong Qui led all scorers with 35 points, spiked by 7-for-12 shooting from distance, while Perry finished with 26 points and 15 boards.
3 Keys to the Game
- Ball movement. Perhaps the most impressive aspect of NLEX’s opening-day win was how the Road Warriors moved the ball. Mostly a Robert Bolick-centered offense in years past, this Alapag-led squad whipped the rock around like a hot potato, routinely finding the open man. The result was NLEX recording 30 assists to Macau’s 8.
- Interior scoring. Thanks in part to a high-octane, fast-paced attack, NLEX tallied 64 points in the paint, mostly on lay-ins and easy twos. Most of the team’s paint points came from the 23 fastbreak points it tallied in the game. In contrast, the Giant Pandas had just 26 points in the paint and 10 fastbreak points.
- Turnovers. The turnover battle went the Road Warriors’ way thanks to NLEX’s swarming defense and Macau’s seeming apathy on offense. In all, Alapag’s squad turned the ball over 13 times compared to the Giant Pandas’ 21, resulting in a 21-4 advantage for NLEX in points off turnovers.
Next Up for the PBA
Saturday, July 11, 2026 | Ynares Center – Montalban
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