Fajardo says Slaughter ‘got stronger’ since return from injury

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Greg Slaughter may be his rival on the court, but June Mar Fajardo is just glad to see the Barangay Ginebra center back.

“I’m happy that he’s back and playing again for Ginebra,” Fajardo said in Filipino on Sunday. “He’s been playing well since returning this conference. He’s dominating the paint again.”

Facing off for the first time since the 2016 Commissioner’s Cup, The Cebuano giants clashed for the first time on Sunday since the 2016 Commissioner’s Cup.

READ: Slaughter shrugs off matchup with Fajardo: ‘It’s team-on-team’

Fajardo thinks Slaughter, who was out for almost a year due to an ACL injury, is better than he was before.

“He’s always been good. But now, he got stronger and wider. It’s easier for him to score now and he even beat me in scoring,” he said.

Slaughter poured in 16 points and hauled down seven rebounds while Fajardo posted a double-double with 10 points and 15 rebounds to help the Beermen beat the Gin Kings,107-103.

Just like Slaughter, the reigning three-time PBA Most Valuable Player is also on the road to recovery after sustaining a calf injury earlier in the conference.

“I’m feeling well and I’m already healthy. I struggled a bit on my offense but I’m making it up on defense and the other things I can help my team with,” Fajardo said.

The Beermen are starting to become the team tipped to capture a Grand Slam, having won two games in a row after a shaky 3-3 start.

“It’s all credit to my teammates. Hopefully, we sustain this.”