Phoenix stars share scoring load as team builds trust

Phoenix Fuel Masters vs North Port. PBA IMAGES

MANILA, Philippines—Matthew Wright may be a bonafide scorer, but he also doesn’t mind playing the facilitator and have his teammates carry the offensive burden from time to time.

Make no mistake, Wright still had his share of the offense but this time it was big man Jason Perkins who carried much of the offensive load in Phoenix’ 110-105 win over NorthPort for its second win the Philippine Cup Thursday.

Head coach Topex Robinson said that the start of the bubble is the best way for his team to build trust in each other and that camaraderie was on full display against the Batang Pier.

“We expected that it’s going to be a tough battle and we know that we’re going to look at Matthew and he knows that this is the best opportunity for him to build trust, trusting his teammates and trusting his open teammates will score,” said Robinson.

“I guess that’s the beauty of this team right now, we’re just happy to be here.”

Wright finished with 23 points, seven rebounds, and nine assists, but it was Perkins who had his fun on the offensive end with 31 points, on 12-of-18 shooting, and 12 boards.

The Fuel Masters are now at 2-0 but Robinson reminded his group that they’re just starting.

“We reminded each other that we’re not a team yet, we’re just a group of talented individuals playing the game of basketball and we are in the best position to be the best team that we want to be,” said Robinson.

“It’s going to take a lot of sacrifices. In the first game Matt took a lot of shots, this game he sacrificed his scoring and trusted his teammates to get open.”