All 13 teams in the PBA Season 50 Governors' Cup have now entered the win column after the Macau Giant Pandas authored their first victory with a 132-126 triumph over the Titan Ultra Giant Risers on Saturday, July 25 at Ynares Center in Antipolo.
Meanwhile, the Terrafirma Dyip snapped their three-game losing streak with a 111-106 overtime win against the TNT Tropang 5G.
Here's how Jenning Leung ignited Macau's second-half comeback and how Juami Tiongson continued to emerge as the perfect complement to Terrafirma import Justin Strings.
Leung powers Macau to victory
With defense still the Giant Pandas' biggest concern, entering the game with the league's second-worst defensive rating at 119.5 points allowed per 100 possessions, the same issues resurfaced against Titan Ultra as they gave up 126 points and 13 three-pointers.
At this point, it has become expected for import De'Vondre Perry, Ramon Cao, Damian Chongqui, and Kobey Lam to carry most of Macau's offensive load.
The quartet once again accounted for 74.2 percent of the team's scoring. But if the Giant Pandas are going to win by simply outscoring opponents, they may have found the perfect complementary piece.
Making his conference debut after playing in the Commissioner's Cup, Jenning Leung made an immediate impact by scoring all 22 of his points in the second half while adding seven assists to help Macau erase a 16-point halftime deficit.
Known for his outside shooting, Leung knocked down four three-pointers and a four-pointer. His biggest contribution, however, was how his perimeter threat stretched the defence. The extra attention he attracted created easier scoring opportunities for his teammates and gave Macau's offence greater variety instead of relying heavily on isolation plays from its primary scorers.
Still, head coach Marcus Elliot wanted Leung to be more aggressive offensively.
"Jenning is a team player, always has a great attitude, and he was being too passive in the first half," Elliot said.
"He did a good job finding Ramon [Cao] and some of the bigs in the pick-and-roll while staying aggressive. But late in the third quarter I got on him and told him to go get his shots and attack the basket. From there, everything started to snowball in a good way."
Listed as a local player, Leung gives Macau another dependable scoring option alongside Perry, an important boost for a team limited by its inability to field all three Asian heritage imports at the same time.
Tiongson continues to thrive alongside Strings
Averaging 19.0 points through Terrafirma's first four games, Tiongson has quickly looked at home in his second stint with the franchise.
After three straight losses that featured unsuccessful comeback attempts, he made sure the Dyip finally got over the hump against TNT.
The former Ateneo standout delivered another efficient performance with 24 points on an outstanding 71.1 true shooting percentage, providing the ideal complement to Strings, who finished with 36 points, 12 rebounds, and six assists while shooting 64 percent from the field.
With TNT frequently trapping primary ball-handler Maverick Ahanmisi during its second-half rally, despite his impressive 20-point outing, Terrafirma repeatedly found itself attacking four-on-three situations through Strings.
As the defence collapsed, Tiongson consistently relocated into open space and punished the rotations with timely perimeter shooting.
When the Tropang 5G threatened to take control in overtime, Tiongson answered with two of Terrafirma's four three-pointers in the extra period, finishing 5-for-7 from beyond the arc.
After helping fuel the Dyip's near-upset of San Miguel in their previous game, only for two late turnovers to undo the effort, Tiongson made sure to deliver in crunch time this time.
"Honestly, all the credit goes to my teammates and the trust they have in me," Tiongson said.
"Whether I make mistakes or miss my shots, their encouragement and confidence in me mean so much, especially after the last game against San Miguel and those two crucial turnovers. I just wanted to make up for those costly turnovers."
Is Days' time running out?
TNT's second straight loss raised more questions about import Darius Days, who once again struggled to find his rhythm, finishing with just 10 points on 27.3 percent shooting from the field.
Foul trouble further limited his impact, as he picked up five fouls and played only 20 minutes.
The encouraging sign for the Tropang 5G was that their locals kept them within striking distance.
Jordan Heading erupted for 29 points, while RR Pogoy added 23 as TNT mounted a late rally despite receiving little production from its import.
With tougher matchups against Converge, San Miguel, and NLEX to close out the first round, the bigger question now is whether head coach Chot Reyes and his staff will remain patient with Days or decide that an import change is necessary.