Matthew is Mr. Wright for Phoenix

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

 

Matthew Wight is a man on a mission.

Without a doubt, the star shooting-guard of the Phoenix Super LPG Fuelmasters is playing inspired basketball despite nursing an ankle injury that he suffered in the first game of their PBA semifinals matchup against the TNT Tropang Giga.

The clutch gene and the killer instinct in Wright were on full display in Game 3 after scoring 23 huge points including the game-sealing turnaround jumper against RR Pogoy, 92-89, to grab a 2-1 lead against the heavy favorites.

It was as if Wright wasn’t affected by his injury as he scored at will against TNT and even dictated the tempo early for his team after executing several pick-and-roll plays that freed up Jason Perkins and Justin Chua to get them going offensively.

Calvin Abueva was also consistent with his dominant outing after posting another double-double with 24 points and 14 rebounds on top of six assists and four steals.

The Fuelmasters came off waxing hot on the court and looked to run with every possession as they were fresh heading into the game after coach Robinson bared that they did not practice to let their banged-up bodies rest.

“Yesterday, we didn’t practice. We talked about acknowledging that we are tired and we are hurt and knowing that it’s a long series. By saying that, we are eliminating all excuses. Acknowledge it and let it go because you’ll never know when you’ll get this chance once again,” said coach Robinson.

TNT tried to claw their way back after cutting the lead to just 1, 88-87, but Wright iced the game after converting on a turnaround dagger over the outstretched arms of Pogoy.