The Alaska Aces’ previous two games in the 2019 PBA Commissioner’s Cup have been rough for their import Chris Daniels.
Last May 25, in their 85-99 defeat to the Terrence Jones-powered TNT KaTropa, Daniels had 23 points, 19 rebounds, two assists, two steals, and two blocks to lead the Aces. He also committed nine of his team’s 27 turnovers.
Then four nights later, when they took on the NLEX Road Warriors — who were parading the returning Tony Mitchell — Daniels shot just 3-of-15 from the field. Still, he managed to produce 17 points, on top of 12 boards, five dimes, and three blocks.
“I missed twelve shots — that was the worst performance I’ve had in a long time,” stressed the 35-year-old.
But even if he shot so poorly, the Aces managed to beat NLEX, 100-87. Five other Milkmen finished in double figures, with Jeron Teng leading the pack with 20 points and 15 rebounds. With that, Daniels said he’s lucky.
“I’m just lucky my team held me down and pulled us through,” said the well-traveled cager from San Antonio, Texas.
“[Jeron] played his… I don’t have any words, but he played well. Like I wanna curse and say he played his ass off. He played so well. Fifteen rebounds? That’s impressive. He did a great job tonight. Everyone did a great job tonight.”
That doesn’t mean he’s just going to rely on luck and his teammates heavily, though. Daniels said that he’ll do his best to get better and help to the Aces, who have improved to 2-2 following Wednesday’s blowout victory.
“Me, I need to improve,” said Daniels, an NBA D-League champ in 2013. “If I improve and the rest of the team improves…
“Like I said, I was three-for-fifteen tonight and if I made half of my shots, the game’s not even as close as it is.”
