Matthew Wright had many reasons to be frustrated on Sunday night.
His Phoenix Pulse Fuel Masters lost narrowly to the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel, 97-100. The defeat snapped their three-game winning streak in the 2019 PBA Philippine Cup.
Wright had the chance to send the game into an extra five minutes, but his halfcourt heave with less than three seconds left kissed the backboard before trickling in and out.
Also, the loss stalled their bid to clinch the top seed. They could’ve gone 9-1 and been the top team until the end of the elims, which would give them a win-once edge for the quarters.
Instead, he stuck on the positives.
“It wasn’t that tough of a loss.
“We’re not gonna let that emotionally affect us. They’re a good team, we’ve had a good season so far,” said Wright, who finished with 10 points and 10 dimes.
The versatile Fil-Canadian guard also lauded the Fuel Masters’ frontline for stepping up in the win.
Phoenix received plenty of help from Jason Perkins (nine points), Dave Marcelo (10 points), Justin Chua (13 points), and veteran bruiser Doug Kramer (14 points, eight rebounds).
“I was in the facilitating job today, the big men were hitting their shots today. Justin played well, Jason played well, Dave, Doug – Doug had a great game today,” Wright praised.
But most importantly for Wright, the mere fact that they battled Ginebra only prepped them for the playoffs.
“You know, more than anything, I’m trying to find the silver lining. This really prepared us for the playoffs,” he said.
“What the playoff atmosphere is like with the crowd, with the intensity.”
