Rey Nambatac gets the job done for new team Blackwater Bossing in their PBA Philippine Cup opener against the Meralco Bolts.
With Rey Nambatac unable to get substantial minutes with Rain or Shine, the spitfire guard was shipped to new team Blackwater.
Nambatac was on the floor for nearly 32 minutes for the Bossing in his debut Wednesday, Feb. 28, and the result was a spectacular display in their 96-93 win over Meralco in the PBA Philippine Cup opener.
Nambatac put on a show, pouring 27 points spiked by three three-pointers, one of which gave the team an 84-67 lead with 8:33 to go in the match. He also dished out a career-high 10 assists and grabbed five rebounds.
Troy Rosario chipped in 15 markers, four boards, and three assists, while Rey Suerte and Tyrus Hill added 11 and 10 points, respectively.
James Yap, who also parted ways with the Elastopainters to sign a one-year deal with the Bossing, also had some moments, uncorking a triple with 9:14 remaining that kept the Bolts at arm's length for a while.
A couple of possessions later, Nambatac unloaded a three-pointer and later on drilled in a pair of free throws to give the team a comfortable 86-67 cushion with 7:58 left in the fourth.
But the Bolts did not go down without some resistance.
Behind Allein Maliksi, Meralco sparked an 11-2 surge to turn a 19-point lead into a single digit deficit, 88-80 with 4:31 remaining.
Maliksi did not stop there.
Inside the final two minutes and 26 seconds, he dropped an 11-point bomb built on three treys to keep things interesting. The last three-pointer allowed the Bolts to close in, 94-93, with only 56.5 ticks to go.
Nambatac would later seal it with a pair of pressure-packed freebies with 19.5 left, before Maliksi botched a last-ditch triple in the left corner as Meralco absorbed its first loss.
Maliksi sizzled with 27 points on five triples in a losing cause. He also had four rebounds, three assists, and a steal.
Fresh from a Gilas stint in the just-concluded first window of the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers, Chris Newsome scored 16 points to go with seven rebounds, six assists, and three steals.
[ALSO READ: Gilas dazzles in first home game of Tim Cone era, sweeps window 1 of Asia Cup Qualifiers]
The Scores:
BLACKWATER 96 – Nambatac 27, Rosario 15, Suerte 11, Hill 10, DiGregorio 9, David 7, Escoto 6, Guinto 5, Yap 5, Jopia 1, Ilagan 0, Kwekuteye 0, Sena 0.
MERALCO 93 – Maliksi 27, Newsome 16, Jose 10, Mendoza 10, Black 10, Hodge 6, Banchero 5, Quinto 3, Bates 3, Torres 3, Caram 0, Pasaol 0, Pascual 0.
Quarterscores: 18-26, 43-41, 72-62, 96-93