Being born in Toronto, Canada, it’s not surprising that Matthew Wright roots for the Toronto Raptors in the NBA.
So it’s not surprising, too, that Wright had a bad Sunday morning, as he saw on TV how the Raptors lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game Three of the NBA Playoffs, 105-103.
Yes, including that LeBron James game-winner that stormed the Internet.
“LeBron James hit a game-winner against my team today.
“I was mad about that this morning,” narrated the 6-foot-4 sharpshooter, followed by a brief chuckle.
But little did he know that he himself would become LeBron James on Sunday night, when the Phoenix Fuel Masters took on the returning Vernon Macklin and the debuting Magnolia Hotshots.
As James had done, Wright made a game-winner — though his was a tough stepback trey — to help the Fuel Masters complete the comeback from 16 down and emerge victorious, 89-87.
But Wright clarified that he didn’t channel James — he’d channeled his inner Kobe Bryant.
“When we were down two points, I just tried to channel my inner Mamba,” the 27-year-old sniper shared. “I practice that shot, I practice with coach, we don’t just shoot open shots, we shoot contested shots.
“I shoot about 100 contested shots in practice. When it comes to game situations, I rarely get open shots so I gotta change my approach so I can be prepared for moments like these.”
Hitting big shots has been in Wright’s repertoire ever since, and his shot on Sunday night was reminiscent of that game-tying trey he made against the TNT Katropa back in the 2018 Philippine Cup.
The Fuel Masters won that match, 74-72.
“I hit a big shot against TNT last conference in this gym (SM Mall of Asia Arena) so I just tried to get to the same spot, a familiar spot,” recalled the sophomore swingman.
“Deja vu kay Matthew Wright sa game against TNT last conference,” reflected Fuel Masters head coach Louie Alas. “Down by two, Matthew Wright made a three-pointer.”
Sunday’s win was truly a relief for Wright after a bad start to his day. But for him, what makes it even more satisfying is the fact that, after over a two years, Phoenix have beaten Magnolia.
“This one felt really good because they’ve been whooping our ass since I got into this league,” said Wright “They’ve had our number, they’ve been beating us by 20, 30, 40.
“This was a huge win for us.”
