Jayson Castro, who is still not at full strength owing to a jumper's knee, suffers another injury scare in TNT's match against Magnolia on Sunday, May 5.
TNT is holding its breath as Jayson Castro hurt his left wrist in the waning seconds of Tropang Giga's 98-93 playoff-clinching win over Magnolia in the PBA Season 48 Philippine Cup on Sunday, May 5.
With 18.4 seconds left on the clock, Castro got bumped from behind by Paul Lee, with both players falling on the floor as they were going for the ball towards the right elbow at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
The TNT star stayed down for a couple of minutes, clutching his wrist and grimacing in pain.
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Hurt and all, Castro marched to the foul line, missed both free throws, but the Tropang Giga still clinched their sixth win and the fourth spot heading into the playoffs.
TNT coach Chot Reyes could not provide specific details but is hoping for the best.
"Hopefully, it’s not too serious, Jayson’s injury," said Reyes of Castro, who went straight to the locker room instead of the press room for the post-game interview due to his hurt wrist.
Reyes also bared Castro was still not at full strength owing to a jumper's knee. But with a lot on the line in Sunday's match, the former best point guard in Asia decided to soldier on.
"We were really thinking about not playing Jayson, but at the last minute, he said he could go. But you saw the difficulties that he had last game," the veteran tactician said.
Castro instead shook off the pain as he dropped 18 points, including 16 in the second half to help the Tropang Giga fend off a late Magnolia rally.
With TNT not playing until Friday, Reyes is hopeful his prized ward will recover and be ready for playoff action.