Wright lifts FMasters over Kings

MANILA, Philippines - Matthew Wright exploded for 27 points after a scoreless game the last time while Jameel McKay grabbed 28 rebounds and added 15 markers as Phoenix Petroleum thwarted Barangay Ginebra, 94-91, in their PBA Commissioner’s Cup Petron Blaze road showdown at the USEP Gym in Davao City last night.

Wright and McKay themselves delivered the game-winning buckets as the Fuel Masters checked a two-game losing skein and moved up to sixth place with an even 2-2 win-loss card.

McKay was at the right place at the right time, gaining the loose ball after Ginebra teammates Scottie Thompson and LA Tenorio fought for a defensive rebound following a missed three-point attempt by Norbert Torres. The Phoenix import scored underneath the basket and the Fuel Masters moved ahead to stay at 92-91 with 18.6 seconds to go.

The Kings rallied from an 11-point deficit and engaged the Fuel Masters in a nip-and-tuck battle in the fourth only to lose the game on a maze of lapses at endgame.

They went scoreless in the last two minutes in a sorry endgame foldup of the Philippine Cup runners-up.

Import Justin Brownlee was helpless on the bench. He played for only 29 minutes and sat the entire fourth quarter due to cramps that hit him as early as the third.

Meanwhile, San Miguel Beer starts its chase of a second jewel of a possible grand slam season as the Philippine Cup champ finally returns to action, going up against the streaking Meralco Bolts (4-0) at the Smart Araneta Coliseum tonight.