MARCIO Lassiter and Chris Ross skipped San Miguel’s game against Hong Kong Eastern in the EASL Home and Away Season 2 Wednesday night at the Philsports Arena.
Lassiter is nursing a hurting foot, while Ross has a strained calf.
Also out of the San Miguel lineup against the Hong Kong-based team is guard Simon Enciso.
But the 37-year-old Lassiter said he’s just resting the injured foot and didn’t find the need to suit up for the Beermen, who are already out of the running for a Final Four berth.
READ: Two Lassiter treys for SMB slam door on hard-fighting Magnolia
“I’ll be fine. Just need to rest my foot, but nothing really serious,” said the Fil-Am gunner.
Lassiter was instrumental in San Miguel’s 85-78 come-from-behind win against Magnolia last Sunday in which he fired back-to-back three pointers inside the final two minutes to highlight the Beermen’s thrilling comeback in the endgame.
Like Lassiter, San Miguel also opted not to play the 39-year-old Ross as he’s expected to play major minutes for the team in its remaining crucial games in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup.
“We need him for our coming games, puro crucial na yun. So we have to preserve him,” said San Miguel deputy coach Jorge Gallent before the game.
The Beermen, defending Commissioner’s Cup champion, are still very much in the running for a quarterfinals berth. They carry an even 4-4 slate to rank no. 8 with two weeks remaining in the eliminations.
They will travel to Candon, Ilocos Sur on Saturday for their game against Meralco, and then take on league leaders Northport, Converge, and TNT in their final three assignments.
Meanwhile, they remain winless in four games in the EASL and are eyeing a breakthrough against two-time tormentor Eastern.
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