Though there was no indication from the NLEX Road Warriors’ bench, Carlo Lastimosa nearly got himself thrown out of the court, after committing two bad plays a few moments after he checked in early in the final frame.
But the six-foot gunner made up for it afterwards.
With his team down huge, 68-78, early in the fourth, Lastimosa went ablaze, scoring 11 of his 14 points moments later to will NLEX to a 95-91 victory over the Phoenix Fuel Masters at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.
“Syempre kailangan pa naming lumaban kasi ang attitude namin, galing kay coach Yeng [Guiao], hindi kami susuko talaga,” said Lastimosa. “Buti maganda yung performance namin nung fourth quarter. Sana magtuloy-tuloy.”
Even Guiao and teammate Alex Mallari were all praises for the St. Benilde product after his stellar outing.
“Today, Carlo Lastimosa provided the spark for us,” said the head coach.
“Actually, when Carlo entered the game I was like, you know what this is his turn to show ‘em that he’s – I don’t know how to say it – he’s still got it,” added Mallari. “He’s always had it, but since Blackwater he hasn’t been the man.
“So I was like you know what, he’s about to take over. I got confidence in Carlo.”
Making Lastimosa’s takeover moment sweeter is that Sunday night’s victory improved their card to a perfect 4-0, which solidifies their hold of the top spot. Moreover, he has been pivotal during this run, averaging 9.75 points on 60 percent shooting so far.
But for Lastimosa, the record and his numbers are simply the result of the work the team is putting in.
“Maybe it shows na yung hardwork namin, umeepekto na,” said the Cagayan De Oro-native.
“Last two conferences, talagang nag-a-adjust. So siguro with the trades and the veterans coming in, umaayos na ang team namin.”
But despite the favorable spot they currently occupy, Lastimosa and Co. remain dissatisfied with their run, saying that there is still plenty to learn, and that the season-ending conference is still a long haul.
“‘Di kami satisfied sa 4-0. Kailangan pa namin i-prove. Marami pang laro, pwede pa kami malaglag. Hopefully, magtuloy-tuloy.”
