ANTIPOLO – Rey Nambatac paused a little as he retreated back to the bench with a little over minutes left in Game 1. He greeted his teammates, then paused again, as he savored the ambiance of his first Finals experience.

For one, TNT has made the huge first step towards its bid for title retention after taking a rousing 104-88 victory over Ginebra in the opening game of the PBA Season 49 Governors’ Cup Finals before a record crowd at the Ynares Center here.

The Tropang Giga came out like a house on fire in the opening frame and while the Kings managed to roll with their initial punches, TNT simply had every weapon ready for the wire-to-wire win to begin the best-of-seven affair.

Nambatac did not shy away from the spotlight of his first Finals appearance finishing with a double-double of 18 points and 10 rebounds to go with his seven assists and two steals. 

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson added an all-around effort of 19 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, three blocks and a steal – including a couple of hustle plays that also thrilled the 11,021 fans in attendance – the most all time at the Ynares Center, breaking previous record of 10,952 set 13 years ago.

Back on his familiar stomping grounds, Jayson Castro also turned back the clock and poured 12 of his 14 points in the third frame where he cunningly exploited rookie RJ Abarrientos on the defensive end.

JP Erram also had 15 points while RR Pogoy had 12 – including an undergoal stab that erected the biggest lead at 20, 89-69 in the final frame.

The Tropang Giga went off to a hot start and took a 15-2 lead in the opening frame behind their stellar outside shooting and their stifling defense that forced the Kings, the league-best three-point shooting team, to miss their first three attempts from deep.

Ginebra recovered and came within five, 38-33, but back-to-back hits from Hollis-Jefferson and Calvin Oftana restored order for a 43-37 halftime lead. 

Castro then went on to work in the third frame, scoring 12 straight points to help TNT pull away from a 60-55 lead to a 72-58 cushion. Nambatac then put on the finishing touches in the final frame as the Tropang Giga was never threatened the rest of the way.

Justin Brownlee paced Ginebra with 23 points, seven rebounds and six assists while Japeth Aguilar and Ralph Cu had 14 and 13 respectively.

Game 2 of the series returns to the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Wednesday, Oct. 30.

The Scores :

TNT 104 – Hollis-Jefferson 19, Nambatac 18, Erram 15, Castro 14, Pogoy 12, Oftana 9, Aurin 8, Khobuntin 5, Williams 2, Heruela 2, Payawal 0, Galinato 0

GINEBRA 88 – Brownlee 23, J.Aguilar 14, Cu 13, Holt 12, Ahanmisi 10, Thompson 7, Abarrientos 5, Pinto 2, Tenorio 2, Pessumal 0, Mariano 0, Adamos 0

QUARTERS : 27-15, 43-37, 72-62, 104-88