March 5, 2016
The Rain or Shine Elasto Painters broke out of a slump in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup after overpowering the NLEX Road Warriors Friday night, 121-94. Both the Elasto Painters and Road Warriors now have 2-3 records.
In the main affair, the Alaska Aces thwarted the Phoenix Fuel Masters, 105-89 to pick up their third straight win. Alaska improved to 3-1 overall, staying unbeaten in the Shane Edwards era while Phoenix dropped to 1-3, losing three in a row.
Meanwhile, here are the latest news and tidbits in this Saturday edition of the PBA Pass-Through.
Manuel on trust given to him: ‘Sinusuklian ko lang’
Alaska Aces forward Vic Manuel had his most productive outing of the conference so far, pouring 26 points on 11-for-16 shooting in the Aces’ win over the Fuel Masters.
While it is an import-laden tournament with imports expected to make it rough for local frontliners, Manuel remains undeterred; he is not intimidated one bit, and that consistent showing has something to do with how his coaching staff trusts him in every game, as he explains in the video below.
https://twitter.com/levijoshua/status/705765968778125312
“Lagi lang akong ready kapag tatawagin ako ni coach. Yung kumpiyansa na binibigay niya sa akin, kahit na import, pinapabantay niya sa akin, so sinusuklian ko lang. Sabi niya sa akin, kahit import ang gumaguwardiya, kailangan bagsak pa rin sa amin ang bola kaya siguro maganda rin nilalaro ko dahil sa tiwalang binibigay sa akin,” Manuel said.
Rabeh Al-Hussaini out for six weeks
Meralco forward Rabeh Al-Hussaini will not be seeing for six more weeks, as his sprain, which he sustained last week during the Bolts’ match against Phoenix, willrequire surgery.
Al-Hussaini suited up in three games this conference, averaging 2 PPG on 4.7 minutes per outing.
Paul Lee to return next week
Rain or Shine guard Paul Lee has the go-signal to return to action next week when the Elasto Painters face the San Miguel Beermen.
“The good news about the next game, is maybe Paul (Lee) can play in the next game. He is trying to get ready now. We hope he can make a contribution (next) Friday,” Guiao said after Rain or Shine defeated NLEX.
Lee was sidelined for the elimination round of the Philippine Cup, before returning in the semi-finals against eventual champion San Miguel. However, he re-injured the same knee as he apparently rushed his return to the hardwood.
This time, Guiao says Lee was given ample time to recuperate, as they do not want the same mistake to happen again.
“Binigay na namin lahat ng time needed. Minadali namin siya noong semis, so we did not want to commit the same mistake. We took a gamble, we probably lost that gamble because it needed more time for him to recover, but no regrets. He also wanted to play and make a contribution. But it just worsened,” Guiao shared.
“Now, we learned our lesson. We are not forcing anything. We want the doctors and himself to make the decision. He will most likely make it on Friday.”
