Durham admits Bolts came out ‘lazy’ in Game 1 loss

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LUCENA — “We’re just kinda lazy.”

That was Allen Durham’s simple explanation on the heels of Meralco’s disappointing 87-102 defeat to Ginebra in Game 1 of the 2017 PBA Governors’ Cup Finals here.

The Bolts struggles were seen all over, from their unusually low 23-percent shooting from three and 39-percent field goal clip, to their 59-40 disadvantage in rebounds.

“We didn’t play our game well tonight. We didn’t shoot the ball well at all. You can’t beat a team like Ginebra and not shoot the ball well,” he said. “The whole conference we’ve been rebounding really well, and for whatever reason, we let them grab 22 offensive rebounds. We just didn’t play our game tonight and it showed.”

For all the fanfare of Meralco’s improvements from last season’s runner-up finish in the season-ending conference, it didn’t look like it was a tad bit better in the Game 1 loss on Friday.

Durham’s troubles also coincided with the Bolts’ slump as he shot 10-of-22 from the field to wound up with 27 points, 14 rebounds, and eight assists against four turnovers.

He did give credit to the Gin Kings’s stupendous effort on both ends of the floor in the series opener, saying, “They just came out the better team tonight. They beat us by a lot.”

The Bolts made a run in the third quarter and sliced what was once a 17-point lead to as low as four, 71-75 late in the frame, but still sputtered in the end game.

“We were off for a little bit, so in the second half, I played a little bit better and we actually fought back in the game. But we had some crucial turnovers and that just killed us. If you turn the ball over against a team like this, they’ll run out and it’s not gonna end well for you,” he said.

Durham now shifts his focus to Game 2, where Meralco aims to tie the series a game apiece on Sunday.

“We just got to get back to work, try to make the necessary corrections, and get ready for Sunday,” he said.