CARRYING the Phoenix offense didn’t stop Jason Perkins from regretting a late miscue that factored in his team’s 82-79 loss to Magnolia in Game One of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup semifinals on Wednesday at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
The Fuel Masters star fired a game-high 25 points on 8-of-15 shooting, including three treys, on top of five boards, two steals, and one assist without a turnover in 34 minutes off the bench.
But with Phoenix down by just two, 81-79, with six seconds left, Perkins failed to box out Ian Sangalang, who grabbed an offensive rebound that led to Tyler Bey drawing a foul and splitting his free throws for a three-point lead that turned out to be the final score.
“It was the details that killed us,” Perkins said. “We should’ve done a better job rebounding and boxing out.”
“That last boxout where Ian got the ball. I just got lazy. I wasn’t thinking,” the 6-foot-4 power forward admitted. “I wasn’t doing what I was supposed to do.”
“We could’ve won the game there,” he added.
Perkins carried the load while the Magnolia defense was focused on import Jonathan Williams, who was held to just 11 points on 11 attempts after averaging 27 points in the regular season.
But Perkins insisted the Fuel Masters import responded the way he should.
The Phoenix locals didn’t.
“They (Magnolia defense on Williams) did good, but J3 also did a good job,” Perkins said. “He’s playing how he’s supposed to play. They’re double-teaming, packing the paint, and he’s kicking out.
“But unfortunately, we – and myself – weren’t doing what we were supposed to do,” he was quick to add.
The Fuel Masters try to regroup quickly as they seek to avoid falling into a 0-2 hole in Game Two of the best-of-five series on Friday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
“All I could do is watch film tonight and see where myself and the team can improve and just try to build from there,” Perkins said.
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