Phoenix rising

Matthew Wright. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

Rookie Matthew Wright found his touch late and Phoenix came back to beat Meralco, 94-90, in the 2017 PBA Philippine Cup yesterday at Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan.

Wright fired 17 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter, where the shorthanded Fuel Masters rallied from double digit deficits to move back to .500 for the tournament.

“I’m just relieved. We lost the last two games by an average of 31 points. It was like sleepless nights for all of us,” said Phoenix head coach Ariel Vanguardia, whose squad improved to 3-3.

“But I just challenged the guys. Halfway point of the conference, we just have to be thankful that we’re 2-3 because the way we’re playing we could have been 0-5.”

The Fuel Masters played without their two key veterans in JC Intal and Willie Wilson.

“The guys stepped up with JC and Willie out tonight,” said Vanguardia. “Willie had amoebiasis even during our game against Star and he suffered from numbness due to complications with his meds while JC has a bruised rib.”

The Bolts, who led by as many as 12, 71-59, slipped to 2-3 despite drawing a career-high 24 points from rookie Jonathan Grey.

Wright, the Filipino-Canadian swingman who was part of the Gilas cadet program, scored 10 points inside the last four minutes, including Phoenix’s last three points, all coming at the free throw line, in the final 30 seconds.

Meanwhile, the PBA announced pickup and drop-off points for those who plan to watch the Christmas Day game at Philippine Arena in Bulacan.

Those who want to avail of the ride must queue early at Jam Bus Terminals in Gil Puyat Avenue (starting 11 a.m.) and Edsa-Kamuning (starting at noon). Buses will transport ticket holders to and from the Philippine Arena on a first-come, first-served basis.

Only fans who have been stamped at the pickup points will be able to avail of the ride back to Manila.

The Christmas Day doubleheader will feature Mahindra taking on Blackwater in the first game and crowd-favorite Barangay Ginebra taking on Star in the main game.

Cyrus Baguio also came through for Phoenix, draining a triple that gave the Fuel Masters the lead for good. Wright then sealed the game with free throws to end the team’s slide, which pushed the squad to a somber celebration of its Christmas party.

“Being like the father of this team, it hurt to because we weren’t able to celebrate in a happier way,” added

Vanguardia, who said playing at the San Juan arena helped his morale.

“This arena brings back a lot of memories,” he said. “I’ve had a lot of wins here,”

Mark Borboran added 17 points for Phoenix to back up Wright, who Vanguardia hopes would continue improving with his defense.

“I’m not yet happy with the way he played defense tonight so hopefully, he’ll continue to improve,” Vanguardia said.