PBA: Jalen Hudson relishes showdown vs Jamaal Franklin
TNT import Jalen Hudson against Converge import Jamaal Franklin in the PBA Governors’ Cup. –PBA IMAGES
MANILA, Philippines—.Jalen Hudson got the better of Jamaal Franklin in the battle of imports in TNT’s streak-busting win over Converge in the PBA Governors’ Cup at Araneta Coliseum on Wednesday.
Hudson and Franklin went at it for the whole game, scoring 56 and 47 points, respectively. The Tropang Giga import came out atop at the buzzer but he made sure to give the FiberXers big man his flowers.
“I thought he was a heck of a player. He made some really tough shots. I see why he was able to get to the CBA. For a while, I didn’t think he was gonna slow down,” said Hudson of Franklin after their 128-122 win that ended Converge’s unbeaten run.
“I thought we had a really good matchup and I thought we played well,” he added.
Hudson and Franklin exchanged baskets in numerous sequences of the game but the former had a more efficient shooting night.
Hudson, the Virginia Tech alum, sank 21 of his 31 attempts for a waxing hot 67 percent shooting clip. He also finished with a double-double with 12 rebounds to go along with four assists.
His counterpart, a former Memphis Grizzlies player, built his 47 markers on a 51 percent clip, making 15 of 29 tries.
Hudson also did not leave TNT’s unsung heroes unrecognized, saying the game was “one of the best” outings they have had since the start of the season.
“I thought everybody played really well, I’ve been telling the guys for the last few games that we haven’t been playing well together but tonight was one of the best times we all played well as a whole,” he said.
Coach Jojo Lastimosa made sure to give his import some much-needed credit after over 41 minutes of play, saying he is nearly unstoppable no matter the defense.
“I know what he’s capable of doing. He’s as quick as anybody in the team and he’s athletic. There’s no seven-footer in the league that can stop him.”
Wednesday’s outing was the highest output in terms of scoring for Hudson, who is averaging 27.8 markers, 9.5 boards and 4.8 dimes a night.
