For the second time in three games, Jason Perkins was the hero for the Phoenix Pulse Fuel Masters.
He previously sank a pair of pressure-packed free throws that gave them a 98-96 win over the NorthPort Batang Pier last February 27. Then the sophomore forward saved the Fuel Masters once more, just a week later.
Perkins went clutch on both ends of the floor inside the final 19.1 ticks of their clash with the Magnolia Hotshots. He first nailed a corner trey, before stripping the ball from Paul Lee and splitting his foul shots to give Phoenix an 89-87 win.
The 6-foot-4 Perkins tallied 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting with seven rebounds in the Fuel Masters’ third straight victory. They are now at the top of the 2019 PBA Philippine Cup standings with an 8-1 record.
But as brilliant as he has been lately, the 26-year-old deflected all the credit to his teammates.
“My teammates just make good reads.
“Most of my shots come off passes and all that. I’m just coming off my teammates and building off their energy,” said Perkins, who currently averages 13.8 points and 8.2 rebounds a game.
But more than anything else, the two-time UAAP gold medalist is just glad that they are surviving and winning down-the-wire ball games, as these only help the Fuel Masters become more solid as a unit.
Their grit was on full display versus the Hotshots, as they fought back from 17 down. For Perkins, winning against their former tormentors helped built their character, which will be beneficial when they face the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel this Sunday.
“That was tough. We had to fight for that one the whole game – we only led twice. We had to work out that one. That built our character, and I think it’s gonna be good for us going to our next game against Ginebra,” expressed the product of La Salle.
“I’m excited.”
