Jazul made some timely three-pointers to help the Fuel Masters pull away for good.
RJ Jazul didn’t single-handedly carry the team on his shoulders, but he had a lot to do in the Phoenix Fuel Masters’ 93-83 win over the Meralco Bolts in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup on Wednesday.
At least that’s what teammate Tyler Tio said in the aftermath of their big win that awarded the team a twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals.
Tio said his veteran point guard, who finished with 13 points on 3-of-5 shooting from the three-point range, maintained order for the youthful Fuel Masters, who now sport to an 8-2 win-loss card for easily their best run since the original PBA bubble in Clark.
“We’re thankful for the veterans on our team. A lot of credit goes to captain RJ,” Tio said of Jazul, who also had five rebounds, three assists, and a steal in almost 18 minutes of play.
“I made some poor decisions in the end game but RJ was there to save my ***. Thank you, cap!”
Phoenix coach Jamike Jarin shared a similar sentiment.
When the going got tough, Jarin wanted the ball in the hands of his most seasoned soldier.
Jazul stepped up when the Bolts threatened to flip the script in the crucial stretch late, with import Shonn Miller scoring on a breakaway dunk to trim what was once a 15-point lead to five, 88-83.
But the former Letran Knight rose to the occasion, responding with a cold-blooded trey in the final 1:16 that repulsed Meralco’s comeback attempt for good.
“We just wanted the ball [with] RJ because we’re a very young team. RJ has been in this situation for a thousand times already,” Jarin said of the 37-year-old cager.
“We want him making the right decisions, because we were doing some careless stuff that turned out to be turnovers and Meralco was able to convert. So I wanted the ball in the most experienced in our team. He didn’t disappoint," coach Jamike added, as the Fuel Masters continue to count on their leader’s stability, which hopefully leads to deep playoff run this conference.