Injury sidelines Alapag in Game 5 against Alaska

JImmy Alapag of the Meralco Bolts injured his hand during Wednesday night’s semifinal battle with the Alaska Aces and had to sit out the rest of the game. TRISTAN TAMAYO / INQUIRER.net

An injury to his hand forced Jimmy Alapag to watch in pain as his Meralco Bolts slowly faded away in a 76-70 loss against Alaska in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup Semifinals Wednesday night.

Alapag broke his left hand in the first quarter after he tangled up with Alaska center Sonny Thoss.

“I just felt my hand and my wrist kind of moved in an awkward position,” Alapag said at Smart Araneta Coliseum. “The funny part was, the next play, I got the rebound and kind of threw a one-hand pass to Arinze Onuaku, but I could already feel something was wrong.”

Alapag was not able to return to the game and the Aces took advantage of a discombobulated Bolts in the fourth quarter to pull away.

What’s more crushing for Alapag, however, was not the physical pain of the injury but watching his team crumble in the final period as the Bolts turned the ball over a couple of times allowing the Aces to build a 72-67 lead with 34.1 seconds remaining.

“It’s more painful that I couldn’t get out there with the guys. that’s why I’m here – to be in games like that, and to not be out there with the guys, that hurts ten times more than my hand.”