Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
Meralco’s fourth victory was dampened by Cliff Hodge’s apparent calf injury late in the 89-83 win over Rain or Shine Wednesday night.
Hodge said he took a knee to the calf in the third quarter, hampering his mobility so he had to sub out at the 8:20 mark of the fourth period.
“I got kneed to the calf in the third quarter and then it started to swell up a little bit so I couldn’t bend my legs,” said Hodge, who finished with 12 points and eight rebounds.
Norman Black is hoping that the injury is nothing serious especially with the Bolts on a roll in the 2017 PBA Commissioner’s Cup.
It was a welcome sign that the energetic forward was able to come out of Mall of Asia Arena on his own, though he still felt a stinging pain on his leg.
“I think it’s a bruise. It hurts but I can still walk, it’s just that I couldn’t get back in the game,” he said.
Despite his injury, the 6-foot-3 forward is happy that the Bolts were able to grind out the win over the gritty Elasto Painters squad in the battle of the early leaders.
“The main thing for us is our defense is pretty solid. I think we’re the number one defensive team now stat-wise, and our rebounding has been great. If you rebound the ball and you play defense,
usually you have a good chance at winning,” he said. “The team is playing well, we’re not relying on any individual to score a lot and we’re playing as a team.”
If he doesn’t get cleared to play, Hodge, who is averaging 7.0 points and 5.0 rebounds so far this conference, might miss Meralco’s tiff against San Miguel on Sunday.