Al Thornton returns to PBA and scores 50 in his first game. photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
Picking up lessons from his last tour of duty for NLEX, Al Thornton primed himself for the tougher grind this time out.
And in his first game back in the PBA, the former NBA first rounder showed his worth and poured 50 points in the Road Warriors’ huge 114-112 overtime victory against Ginebra.
“Another day at the job,” he said. “That’s what I’m supposed to do. That’s my job.”
READ: Thornton’s 50 enough to lift NLEX over Ginebra in OT
Thornton shot 16-of-30 from the field and 16-of-20 from the charity stripe. He dropped 15 in the fourth quarter and 10 points in extra time to secure the win for NLEX while hauling down seven rebounds and dishing out four assists.
Last year’s slow start saw the Road Warriors drop four of their first five games before going on a six-game winning run to secure the fourth in the quarterfinals.
That memory is still fresh in Thornton’s mind, and he wants no less than to perform better and lead NLEX to greater heights.
“Compared to when I was here last year, we got to a slow start,” he said. “I felt it’s definitely important for our team to just get to a good start. We’re talking about the 3-seed, so it was important for us to get this first win.”
Thornton underwent a stem cell treatment on his right knee on December last year, which to coach Boyet Fernandez was an indication of Thornton’s reinvigorated commitment this season.
“He came in and prepared himself for a long haul this second conference,” said the coach.”
Thornton shared that his knee is slowly adapting to the treatment, saying, “It’s getting stronger.”
“It’s a pretty complicated procedure,” he further elaborated. “They draw blood in your bone marrow and re-inject the affected areas. They go through my back, took the blood in my bone marrow, and re-inject it on
my knee.”
Though Thornton admits that the results take time, but he is seeing significant improvement as he goes along.
“The healing process is really long, three to six months. My knee is not all the way healthy and It takes time. It has improved a little bit, but not the way I want it to. It’s a long process,” he said. “I’ll see if it works. So far, it’s improving little-by-little.”
