ANTIPOLO CITY – Calvin Oftana is slowly getting back to his lethal form after sustaining a busted lip in the final game of the eliminations of the PBA Governors’ Cup.
Oftana had 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the field, three of which from three-point range, in TNT’s 109-91 win over NLEX on Sunday, giving the Tropang Giga a 2-1 lead in their quarterfinal series.
READ: Red hot TNT squashes NLEX to move a win away from semis
It was Oftana’s best game since he prematurely exited TNT’s final outing of the eliminations against NorthPort when he got a cut in his lip after a collision with Arvin Tolentino in the first quarter.
TNT coach Chot Reyes said they were patient with Oftana due to the extent of the wound in his lip that required stitches.
“He has a lot of stitches. Hindi lang five or six. 30-plus stitches. So you put yourself in his shoes, it’s no joke to try to come back,” said Reyes.
Oftana began the series by scoring eight points, below his 12.78 average in the eliminations, while shooting 3-of-7 from the field. In Game Two, Oftana struggled with 3-of-10 from the field to finish with nine points.
“He really struggled not only on offense but even on defense kasi siyempre, isusubo mo pa ‘yung mukha mo, ang dami na ngang tahi,” said Reyes.
After his play in the last two games, TNT decided to start Oftana with the confidence that he is back in rhythm with his injury healing.
“We wanted to ease him in off the bench which he has been doing naman in the elimination round," Reyes shared.
"But then now, we said, after a couple of games that he’s been struggling, we thought that it’s time to bring him back to the starting line-up. That’s where he is most comfortable in," he added.
“Same message to Calvin, just do your job and just be Calvin Oftana."
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