Tautuaa ‘getting better’ as he recovers from rib injury

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TNT forward Moala Tautuaa sat out three of the KaTropa’s five games in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup and it took a month before the 6-foot-7 big man was finally able to play.

Tautuaa, who suffered a bruised rib in practice, played solid minutes off the bench for TNT in his return, finishing with seven points and seven rebounds in theor 109-88 win over GLobalPort.

“My first game was okay, but I’m still a little tentative and I don’t think I’m a hundred a percent again,” said Tautuaa Friday at Smart Araneta Coliseum. “I’m still getting hit in practice but the ribs are getting better, I’m getting better.”

The injury even before the start of the second conference when TNT assistant coach Alton Lister inadvertently hit him in practice.

Despite the decent return, where he made three of his five shots including a one-handed dunk at the 2:32 mark of the fourth, Tautuaa said he’s still trying to take it slow.

“I can’t do much because I have a chipped rib, so I’m playing with what I can, I’ll just work as hard as I can and make sure I’m healthy,” said Tautuaa.