Rey Nambatac wasted little time putting his difficult Commissioner’s Cup campaign behind him, delivering a strong all-around performance to lead TNT Tropang 5G to a 106-103 victory over the Macau Giant Pandas in their opening game of the PBA Season 50 Governor’s Cup on Sunday.
Nambatac finished with 23 points, six assists, and three rebounds as the defending champions held off a furious Macau rally after seeing a 15-point lead trimmed to just three in the closing minutes.
The veteran guard’s performance marked a sharp turnaround from his previous conference, where he struggled to find his rhythm and posted career-low production since joining TNT.
“To be honest, ‘yung last conference ko was a wakeup call, an eye-opener na rin para sa akin,” Nambatac said.
The former Letran standout averaged only 5.5 points, 2.5 assists, and 2.0 rebounds in 27 games during the Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup.
His struggles extended into the Finals against Barangay Ginebra, a surprising dip considering he was named the PBA Press Corps Finals MVP when TNT won the same tournament last season.
Rather than dwell on those struggles, Nambatac said he entered the Governor’s Cup determined to restore the level of play that helped establish him as one of TNT’s key backcourt weapons.
“Sabi ko, hindi puwedeng ganun. So I need to step up and ibalik ko ‘yung usual na laro ko, and dito mag-i-start ‘yun sa conference na ‘to,” he said.
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REY GOT HIS STING BACK?
After putting a disappointing conference behind him, Rey Nambatac believes he has finally hit the reset button, opening the PBA Season 50 Governors’ Cup with a bounce-back performance to help TNT escape Macau, 106-103. pic.twitter.com/ZIHWuXIK6T
— Fastbreak (@fastbreaknewsph) July 20, 2026
The offseason also saw Nambatac become the subject of trade speculation, with reports linking him to a possible move to Titan Ultra in exchange for Joshua Munzon.
He stayed with TNT, however, and immediately rewarded the team’s faith with one of his best performances in recent months.
Nambatac’s offense proved crucial as TNT weathered Macau’s late charge to secure its first victory of the conference.
Still, the 31-year-old guard knows sustaining that level will be the bigger challenge as the tournament progresses.
“Sabi nga ni coach Chot [Reyes], hopefully magtuloy-tuloy na. And the key in this conference for me is to be more consistent,” he said.
With the opening hurdle cleared, TNT will look to improve to 2-0 when it takes on the Titan Ultra Giant Risers on Wednesday, July 22, with Nambatac aiming to build on a performance that could signal the return of his old form.
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