Manila: TNT, missing five key players, initiated their title-redemption journey with a challenging 106-103 victory over Macau in the PBA Governors' Cup at Smart Araneta Coliseum on Sunday. Despite being short-handed, the Tropang 5G managed to withstand the Giant Pandas' late surge in the final minutes.

According to Philippines News Agency, the Tropang 5G faced the absence of five players, including three injured starters: Calvin Oftana, Poy Erram, and Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser. Additionally, Jayson Castro and Kelly Williams were unavailable as they attended to family matters in the United States.

TNT coach Chot Reyes expressed mixed feelings post-game, acknowledging the struggle due to their depleted roster and lack of off-season tune-up games. "Number one, kulang kami sa players. We've got three starters who are not playing. And number two, this is our first tune-up game. Hindi kami nakapag tune up in the off-season because we opted to rest, recover," Reyes explained. Despite the challenges, Darius Days made a noteworthy debut, contributing 23 points, six rebounds, and three assists.

Rey Nambatac was instrumental in filling the gap, matching Days' 23 points while adding six assists. Roger Pogoy also made significant contributions with 21 points, including a crucial triple that extended TNT's lead to 101-83.

As the game clock ticked down, Macau launched a fierce comeback, reducing TNT's lead to 104-101 with just 25.3 seconds left. Despite pressure from free throws by Damien Chongqui and possession regained in the final seconds, Macau couldn't capitalize, and Xucheng Liu's long shot attempt fell short.

De'Vondre Perry emerged as the game's leading scorer with 36 points and 10 rebounds for Macau, while Chongqui rebounded from a previous ejection to add 24 points and eight assists. Despite their efforts, Macau recorded their fourth consecutive loss in the tournament.

The final scores were TNT 106, Macau 103, with TNT taking a narrow victory in a hard-fought game.