Meralco head coach Luigi Trillo was pleased with the way Marvin Jones led by example to atone for their loss to Rain or Shine two nights ago.
The American big man submitted 24 points, 14 rebounds, three assists, a steal, and a block in 32 minutes, as he played a key role in their thwarting of Titan Ultra for win no. 3 in the PBA Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup.
“I thought Marvin was on-point today,” lauded the champion mentor after their 118-105 victory at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
“He was on-point in terms of decision-making; he was very vocal. He had a lot of positives in him today.”
Some eyes were on the well-travelled pro from Chicago after a somewhat underwhelming outing against an all-Filipino Elasto Painters.
Expected to at least take advantage of Jaylen Johnson’s absence, Jones was held scoreless in the second half of their eventual 109-102 defeat as he struggled to respond to the opposition’s aggressive defense on him.
He finished with 17 points and 16 rebounds, and his failure to deliver offensively in the final two quarters proved costly, as Felix Lemetti and Adrian Nocum simply had their way and went on to lead their side atop the standings at 3-0.
“I think the thing to remember is Rain or Shine is super capable, kahit walang import yan. In fact, they’ve had games where when their back is against the wall, they even play harder,” said Trillo, once again reminding how good Rain or Shine is.
Fortunately for him, an opportunity to redeem himself lay 48 hours later, and the 7-foot slotman sure made the most of it when it finally came, submitting a full line as he helped Meralco charge to a strong start to lead all the way.
“That was very uncharacteristic. Siyempre ‘pag walang import yung kabilang team…Tiongson in that game had three fouls; it seemed like he didn’t go to work. But here, he did a lot. He was all over the place,” Trillo said.
“He had 24, 14, he had a steal and a block,” he added as he glanced at the stat sheet. “Very, very pleased with the way Marvin performed today.”
With that, it shall be safe to say that the Bolts have regained their confidence in Jones, who was actually solid in their 2-0 start into the midseason tilt.
“Marvin earned his keep today,” said Trillo.
“He was pretty solid in what he did, and I’m happy for him.”
