It was one of those nights for Matthew Wright.
The Fil-Canadian guard couldn’t find the bottom of the net early in Phoenix Super LPG’s 2021 Honda-PBA Philippine Cup duel with Rain or Shine Wednesday.
He missed 14 consecutive shots from the floor. Yes, you read it right.
Such a shooting performance was truly uncharacteristic for a player of his caliber. That didn’t dampen his spirit, though. The 30-year-old eventually ended the dry spell with a turnaround jumper.
But that was no ordinary bucket.
That shot of his – which he made after warding off Gabe Norwood – put the Fuel Masters up, 78-76, with 2.7 seconds left to play. It was their first taste of the lead since falling to a 17-point hole in the third chapter.
Phoenix went on to complete the wild comeback, 78-77.
Head coach Topex Robinson did not feel surprised that his prized cager took the shot in the clutch despite his woes. “Matthew will win games for us, and he will lose games for us,” he said after the match at the DHVSU Gym.
“No matter what, he will always take a shot,” added the youthful mentor, who’s now in his second year at the helm for Phoenix.
“I don’t have to tell Matt to take a shot because again, no matter what, he will always take that shot.”
Thus, his decision to keep him on the court. And Wright finished with four points, 12 rebounds, five assists, and a steal.
“The right thing to do is to keep on playing Matt,” said Robinson. “I mean, he’s a winner. He wants to win.
“He’ll find ways to win.”
Despite yet another heroic deed from Wright, Robinson did not forget about the other Fuel Masters who helped out in the miraculous fight back. That includes Jason Perkins and the backcourt tandem of RR Garcia and Chris Banchero.
Perkins and Garcia both produced 18 points, while Banchero made 14 markers. The trio spearheaded the furious 15-0 rally that tied the game up at 74 with 1:11 left in the game. That then set up the thrilling finish.
“We have to give credit to Rain or Shine’s defense. They have really solid defenders making it difficult for Matt to take shots. He struggled a bit, Jason took over, guys like RR Garcia took over, CB,” he said.
“I didn’t call any timeout in the fourth because we just want to let them play and they just found ways. This is what the team’s about. We just have to not give up, keep finding ways to win. And guys just stuck together until that final buzzer.”
