Scottie Thompson made his presence felt in Ginebra’s win over Blackwater in the PBA Season 48 Philippine Cup.
Though not yet at full strength, Ginebra star Scottie Thompson still managed to make a world of difference for the reeling Gin Kings.
The do-it-all guard was all over the court on Friday, April 12, as Ginebra arrested a two-game tailspin with a resounding 105-86 win over Blackwater in the PBA Season 48 Philippine Cup.
Thompson, who has been bothered by slipped disk since his collegiate days with Perpetual Help, churned out four points, seven rebounds, eight assists, and two steals in over 26 minutes of action.
His contributions didn’t go unnoticed, of course.
“Scottie is a former MVP. He’s going to make an impact on the team. He has through the years,” said Ginebra coach Tim Cone after the match at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
“Scottie, he helps us move the ball. He brings a lot of energy to the defensive side.”
Thompson admitted he is still easing into the grind after sitting out Ginebra's first six outings in the All-Filipino Conference.
While his back is still bothering him, adrenaline trumped pain whenever he hopped on the parquet floor.
“It feels good, sobrang happy na nakabalik,” he said. “Praying lang na maging healthy, not really 100 percent pa. Pero tinetake ko day by day. [Yung] strengthening, conditioning, therapy, tuloy-tuloy pa rin.”
It’s still not clear, though, whether he can continue playing at this level against NorthPort on Sunday as the Gin Kings make a push for the playoffs.
“We’ll find out how sore he is tomorrow. I was caught between trying to keep him on the floor and give him rhythm and get him back in the flow of the game, but I also didn’t want to overextend him and not be able to play on Sunday,” said Cone, whose team now tots a 4-3 win-loss card.
“It’s kind of a balancing act with him at this point. Hopefully, he’ll be fine tomorrow and be ready to go 100 percent against NorthPort.”
(With reports from Gillian Trinidad, One Sports Digital)