Ricardo Ratliff of the Magnolia Hotshots takes on Mike Watkins of the NLEX Road Warriors in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup. –PBA images
It felt surreal Friday night as Magnolia finally emerged from a shaky start to the PBA Commissioner’s Cup, but only after two key players were injured.
A freak accident before tipoff left Paul Lee with a serious injury late in the game, while Mark Barocca was involved in a collision with Calvin Abueva in the final seconds of the Hotshots’ 99-95 overtime victory over NLEX Road. He was injured in the collision and had to stop breathing for several minutes. Warriors at PhilSports Arena in Pasig City.
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“We have a lot of injuries,” coach Tito Victorello said when informed that Barocca was almost able to get up on his own. “I can’t make excuses, but I hope it’s completed by the time we play Ginebra.”
The match will take place on Christmas Day, and fans will rejoice in the return of the so-called “Manila Clasico” brotherly showdown. This is a must-win game for Magnolia after snapping a four-game losing streak with a midseason conference opener win. Before the NLEX fight.
All four losses were by an average margin of 2.7 points, and two of those losses came against Converge and Rain or Shine despite holding double-digit leads.
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“I [talked to] with the players [said sorry] to them [but we needed] Having a playoff mentality with a sense of urgency to get to the next level…they showed that. [against NLEX]” Victorello said.
You thought things couldn’t get any worse for the beleaguered Hotshots when a metal railing fell on Lee’s face while he was lying on the floor, forcing him to miss the matchup against the Road Warriors. I was disappointed.
“It was a really freak accident,” Lee said, adding that he felt dizzy most of the time while watching the team from the bench. “I was just warming up and the barrier fell on my face.”
5 point play
Fortunately for Magnolia, Lee’s absence didn’t prevent the team from breaking out of a losing streak. The Hotshots were led by import Ricardo Ratliff with 38 points and 19 rebounds. The already big numbers seemed even bigger considering the fact that he played through a right shoulder injury.
Xavier Lucero himself missed one game in the loss, but was a key player on both ends of the extra session as Magnolia withstood a tenacious NLEX team, scoring five points for the first time in league history and taking the lead in key moments. It became. Performance courtesy of Robert Borick.
However, Bolick missed a desperate four-shot from the center of the court, and Robbie Herndon panicked near the second arc and was unable to take a shot, causing time to run out. At that moment, Barocca fell to the ground holding his ribs. I was seen there.
Barocca could only laugh at the issue as he emerged from the dugout, and also answered questions from teammate Russell Escort, who playfully acted as if he were part of the fourth estate.
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“I felt like I passed out,” Barocca said.
