Magnolia dealing with injury concerns ahead of ‘Clasico’

Magnolia Hotshots import import Ricardo Ratliffe against NLEX Road Warriors’ import Mike Watkins in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup. –PBA IMAGES

There was a surreal feeling on Friday night as Magnolia finally snapped out of an alarming start in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup—but only after two key players ended up getting hurt.

A freak accident before tipoff made Paul Lee a late scratch, while Mark Barroca had to catch his breath for a few minutes after getting hurt during a collision with Calvin Abueva in the waning seconds of the Hotshots’ 99-95 overtime victory over the NLEX Road Warriors at Philsports Arena in Pasig City.

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“We have a lot of injuries,” coach Chito Victolero said when told that Barroca was able to get up almost on his own. “There’s no excuses, but hopefully we’re complete before the Ginebra game.”

That game will be on Christmas Day, when fans will be treated to the renewal of the so-called “Manila Clasico” sibling rivalry, which is a must-win for Magnolia after its victory to open the midseason conference was followed by four consecutive losses prior to the NLEX tussle.

All four defeats came by an average margin of 2.7 points, with two of those coming despite holding double-digit leads against Converge and Rain or Shine.

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“I [talked to] the players and [said sorry] to them [but we needed] to have a playoff-like mentality because of the urgency to be on the next level … which they showed [against NLEX],” Victolero said.

It seemed like things couldn’t get worse for the embattled Hotshots, when Lee found himself missing the matchup with the Road Warriors when a metal railing fell on his face while he was lying on the floor.

“It’s really a freak accident,” said Lee, who added that he was feeling dizzy for most of his time watching the team from the bench. “I was just there warming up and the barrier fell on my face.”

Five-point play

Lee’s absence, fortunately for Magnolia, didn’t hamper the team’s bid to snap its losing spell. The Hotshots rode on import Ricardo Ratliffe’s 38 points and 19 rebounds, already big numbers that seemed bigger given the fact that he played through a right shoulder injury.

Zavier Lucero, who himself missed one game during one of the losses, was also key in the extra session on both ends, as Magnolia weathered a determined NLEX side that even took a lead in the crucial moments via the league’s first-ever five-point play courtesy of Robert Bolick.

But Bolick missed a desperate four from midcourt while Robbie Herndon failed to make a hurried shot near the second arc before time expired, which was when Barroca was seen on the ground holding his rib.

Barroca could only laugh at the matter upon emerging from the dugout, even answering questions from teammate Russel Escoto, who playfully acted as if he was a member of the fourth estate.

“It felt like I blacked out,” said Barroca.