AS they say in the vernacular, ‘Ang taong nasusugatan, lalong tumatapang.’
That can’t be any more true in the case of RJ Jazul, who shrugged off a bloodied nose and helped Phoenix avoid another loss in its PBA Philippine Cup semifinals series against San Miguel on Sunday night.
Jazul delivered half of his 14 points in the final quarter as the Fuel Masters withstood a strong finishing kick by the four-time defending champion Beermen to pull off a stirring 92-90 win in Game 3 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The 33-year-old Letranite had to play the entire second half with a hurting nose after being accidentally headbutted by Von Pessumal in the closing minutes of the second period.
Jazul brushed off the incident as 'just a part of the game,' saying he understood that the San Miguel gunner meant no harm.
“Hindi naman sadya. Aksidente, nakatalikod kasi siya,” said Jazul. “Ok naman ako. Nakalaro pa rin naman the entire second half.”
The injury only brought out the best in Jazul, who also had eight rebounds and two assists in 33 minutes of play.
There’s simply no surrender for the veteran guard with the Fuel Masters needing to win the game badly in an effort to stay alive in the best-of-seven series.
“We needed this game. Duguan man o hindi, kailangang manalo. Kasi if not, who knows, baka ma-sweep pa kami,” he said.
While he’s feeling some pain on his nose, no stitches were needed to close the wound. Jazul could only hope for the best as he’s set to undergo an X-ray on Monday.
“Sana wala, mahirap e,” added Jazul, noting that the series is being played every other day.
No face mask too, if ever.
“Hopefully not. Walang time para mag-adjust pa,” Jazul added.
Game 4 of the series will be played Tuesday at the Astrodome.
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