CHRIS McCullough promised that “it will be scary” once gets going in his second stint in the PBA, this time with TNT.
He was.
McCullough exploded with 42 points on 16-of-28 shooting to carry TNT to a 103-95 win over Meralco in Game 5, giving the Tropang 5G a 3-2 lead in the Commissioner's Cup best-of-seven semifinal series.
READ Chot thrilled to see C-Mac fit in at TNT in so short a time
In his first game back in the PBA, McCullough scored 24 points on an inefficient 7-of-17 shooting, including a 0-of-5 clip from threes, in TNT’s Game 4 loss to Meralco, 101-90.
On Friday, McCullough made 3-of-5 from threes including back-to-back hits that put TNT up, 94-85.
“I said that,” said McCullough, when asked about his promise. “I just needed to get my legs underneath [me].”
“I had two weeks off from playing basketball. I’m just happy to be back playing, but the job is not finished though,” he added.
TNT coach Chot Reyes understood McCullough’s struggles in Game 4.
“From the last game, he just had two practices with us. Now, he has had a benefit of a game, and an extra practice,” said Reyes.
“Number 1, he gets acclimatised with his teammates on what we want to do, but also just getting back to the swing of things in the PBA. This is a tough league,” said Reyes.
A fresh McCullough was all over the floor in the second half, scoring 29 points in that stretch.
“I thought we did a good job of pacing him in the first half, and he had the legs in the fourth quarter, and that’s all we needed. We get good shots, give Chris good looks, and that helps our defense tremendously,” said Reyes.
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