Paul Lee loses another front tooth again in hustle play

Paul Lee and Dez Wells scramble for the ball. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines—Paul Lee experienced a little bit if déjà vu when Magnolia faced off against San Miguel in the PBA Governors’ Cup.

After colliding with Dez Wells on a layup attempt, Lee fell face first to the parquet floor and lost one of his teeth in the process with 2:53 left in the Hotshots’ 90-89 loss to the Beermen.

Lee said it was the same tooth that he lost in 2015 when he absorbed an elbow from TNT’s Ivan Johnson in the Commissioner’s Cup finals.

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“It hurts but that’s part of the game,” said Lee in Filipino Friday at Mall of Asia Arena. “It’s the old one that I lost before.”

Lee checked out of the game with San Miguel leading 88-87 but he managed to check back in with 8.7 seconds left for the Hotshots’ last-second attempt at a win.

After getting trapped near the left elbow, Lee passed the ball to Mar Barroca in the wing but his three-point attempt hit nothing but air.

Magnolia won’t hold practice on Saturday and Lee said he’d take advantage of the team’s break to go to the dentist.

“I’ll just go to the dentist and I’ll go back to my old self,” said Lee who finished with 22 points and four assists.