Jonathon Simmons. PBA IMAGES
ANTIPOLO CITY — Jonathon Simmons gave NLEX quite the parting gift on Saturday, leading the Road Warriors to a 98-94 conquest of Phoenix and helping the club stay perfect in the young Governors’ Cup.
The NBA veteran, who is set to backstop a Chinese pro club, dropped 38 points and seven rebounds, and five assists in his farewell game that greased NLEX’s march to the top of the standings where it joins 4-0 Converge.
“This guy knows how to win games, and I think I’ll miss that. And he’s nice to be with,” coach Frankie Lim said in the post-game chat at Ynares Center here, still in awe with the American’s performance.
“We just try to be consistent. Too bad that ‘Simms’ had to leave,” he added.
After scoring 13 in the third quarter, Simmons kept his foot on the gas and scored nine more in the final frame where NLEX reclaimed the lead and then held on to drop Phoenix to a 1-4 mark.
Tony Semerad turned in 16 points, while Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser added 14 as NLEX girds for a real test against defending champion Barangay Ginebra, which it plays this Wednesday.
Import Du’Vaughn topscored for Phoenix with 25 points, while Jason Perkins and RJ Jazul both finished with at least 13 more.
But with Simmons hell-bent on honoring his promise to Lim of a sweep of NLEX’s four games, the Fuel Masters never had a chance in the end.
Phoenix will try to bounce back on Friday, but will have its work cut out for itself as the Fuel Masters take on Magnolia next.