WITH DeQuan Jones being wheeled out after a horrific injury, the NLEX Road Warriors gathered to say a prayer.
Then came the call from coach Jimmy Alapag: “The best we can do is to honor DJ on what he means to the team.”
The Road Warriors responded, putting up a big fight to beat the TNT Tropang 5G, 118-111, in overtime and keep the top spot in Group A of the PBA Season 50 Governors’ Cup at the Ynares Center in Antipolo on Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026.
NLEX showed tremendous composure despite losing Jones to a suspected complete fracture of his lower right leg in the third quarter, rebounding from an upset loss to Terrafirma, 114-109, in its previous game.
Robert Bolick buried two late four-point shots in regulation and finished with 27 points, eight assists, five rebounds, two steals and two blocks, while LJ Gonzales took charge in overtime and wound up with a career-high 26 points to lift NLEX to a seventh win against one loss.
TNT dropped to 4-4 at third.
“It’s a lost game but Berto got us back into the game with big-time shots. And LJ was huge down the stretch,” said Alapag.
The biggest downside, however, was the loss of Jones.
The well-built import slipped while driving hard to the basket at the 7:27 mark of the third quarter. His right foot got caught underneath him as TNT defender Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser landed on top of him.
Jones was immediately wheeled out on a stretcher but managed to hold up a thumbs-up.
“My deepest prayers go to DJ. More than the basketball player, it’s the person. His value to this team goes far beyond what he can do in the basketball game, but it’s the person,” said Alapag.
“It’s hard to see him go down,” he added.
NLEX lost a 10-point lead after Jones’ exit and even fell behind by five late in regulation.
But the Road Warriors refused to go down. The second of Bolick’s two four-point shots sent the game into overtime at 107-all.
With NLEX leading 116-111, Bolick sealed the victory with a steal from Rahlir Hollis-Jefferson and a fastbreak feed to Tony Semerad, who gave the Road Warriors a seven-point lead with 46.2 seconds left.
Converge 120, Terrafirma 103
It seems Converge’s import problems are over — and so is its alarming skid.
Cameron Clark scored 22 points and was also a defensive stalwart for the FiberXers in their 120-103 win over Terrafirma in the first game.
Converge’s second replacement import of the conference scored 10 of his points in the fourth quarter, providing the spark that finally broke the Dyip’s resistance and helped the FiberXers snap a four-game slide.
Justin Arana, Calvin Abueva, Juan Gomez de Liano and Frederick Tungcab also did their part in the win, which gave Converge an even 4-4 record while relegating Terrafirma to 3-5.
Arana finished with 20 points and 12 rebounds, while Abueva notched his second straight double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds. De Liano chipped in 13 points, as did Tungcab, who sparked the FiberXers’ early breakaway.
Converge stretched its lead to as much as 29 points, 85-56, before Terrafirma suddenly sprang to life and whittled the deficit to just 10, 81-91, early in the fourth period.
Clark, however, knocked down two triples to spark a 27-14 run that gave Converge a comfortable 118-95 lead and allowed the FiberXers to start looking ahead to their matchup with Group A leader NLEX on Friday, Aug. 14. / PBA MEDIA