PBA: Kelly Williams relishes matchup vs ‘talented’ Jason Perkins

TNT’s Kelly Williams against Phoenix Fuel Masters’ Jason Perkins in the PBA Philippine Cup. –PBA IMAGES

MANILA, Philippines—TNT’s Kelly Williams one-upped fellow big man Jason Perkins in Tropang Giga’s 108-101 triumph over the Fuel Masters in the PBA Philippine Cup.

Williams got the better of Perkins with a monster double-double of 17 points and 13 rebounds with two assists and two steals to match.

However, the TNT veteran didn’t leave the competition without giving his Phoenix counterpart his flowers.

READ: PBA: TNT rallies from 20 down to beat Phoenix in crucial win

“Perk has always been a great matchup that I love to go up against. After every game, I just tell him to keep doing what he’s doing, stay aggressive and it’s been good to see his growth as a player,” said Williams at Ninoy Aquino Stadium on Wednesday.

“If he stays locked in and keeps the right attitude, he’s going to do more damage in the next few games.”

The Tropang Giga increased their chances of making the playoffs with a 5-4 record thanks to the 18-year league veteran while Phoenix crashed to a 3-6 card, the second worst in the league after Converge’s 1-8 record.

READ: Jason Perkins sneaker switch briefly gives Phoenix good luck

However, the numbers on the stat sheet don’t tell the whole story.

Perkins bumped and banged his way to 21 first half points until Williams locked him down in the latter part of the match for just five points.

“I just wanted to stay in front of Perk tonight, give him some resistance and make him a little bit uncomfortable. I think he was a little too comfortable in the first half, he was able to get what he wanted but that’s part of the game, being able to adjust,” Williams said.

“I just wanted to put myself in a position to be able to stop a talented player like Perkins.”