DESPITE the scary fall, Jamie Malonzo vowed to continue churning out highlight reel plays that he has become known for.
Making fans happy with the way he plays is what brings out the best in him, according to the exciting Barangay Ginebra sophomore.
“I think my best game comes out when there’s like big fans, big crowd. So seeing them every single day, it’s a blessing. It makes me want to go out there and give the fans, obviously seeing me dunking a lot, makes me want to give them some excitement,” said the 6-foot-7 Fil-Am.
READ: Ginebra bench gets a good workout in romp over sorry Terrafirma
But this one incident had Ginebra fans on the edge of their seats after Malonzo landed on his back following a hard fall late in the second quarter of the Kings’ PBA Commissioner’s Cup game against Terrafirma on Friday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The former De La Salle stalwart tried to convert a Justin Brownlee alley-oop play on transition, but collided with Andreas Cahilig while airborne that left him landing on the floor back first.
“I went for the alley-oop. Probably shouldn’t have,” he recalled of the play that happened at the 3:54 mark before halftime, and Ginebra with a commanding 53-32 lead.
“Probably should have relaxed on that one.”
WATCH as Malonzo heads back to the dugout to have his back checked:
But two plays later, Malonzo was up and about, and already smiling as he went back to the Ginebra bench during a timeout situation.
“Yeah, I took the fall, but it was a good fall for sure,” said the 26-year-old forward, adding he’ll probably feel the after effect of the fall the following day.
“But I’m all good,” he assured.
Malonzo finished with 11 points, eight rebounds, and three assists in the win that hiked Ginebra’s record to 4-2 for a tie with Converge at third to fourth place.
More than the fall, he said it’s the outcome of the game that he’s more concerned about, knowing Terrafirma is a team that has nothing to lose.
“To be honest this is the game that we’re scared of, the ones where we can get beaten and put ourselves in a bad position,” he said.
At the same time, Malonzo said he’ll be more careful too, about doing fancy stuff on the court, but not entirely setting those fancy plays aside.
“We’re going to chill out a little bit. Just a little bit, but we’re going to bring it out for a song,” he added.
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