Sutton lifts Phoenix

MANILA, Philippines — It was like the story of the legendary phoenix rising from the ashes. With 6:26 left, Phoenix was down nine to TNT in the PBA Governors’ Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum last Sunday. TNT’s lead was three when the Super LPG Fuel Masters missed two triples and two free throws with 1:04 to go. Then, Jason Perkins hit a layup to trim the gap to one, 27 ticks remaining. After a timeout, TNT inbounded from the backcourt to avail of the full 24-second shot clock but Jayson Castro lost possession on a drive as the ball struck Dominique Sutton’s leg, bounced to Jansen Rios who rifled a pass to Matthew Wright for a fastbreak layup to win it for Phoenix, 93-92.

Sutton finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds, unimpressive numbers for an import but coach Topex Robinson said there’s more to come from the former Kansas State forward who planed in last Thursday and had just two practices with the team. “There’s still an adjustment period and we’ll be able to put him in a spot where he can be a threat,” said Robinson.

Sutton, who previously played for Air21 in 2014 and GlobalPort in 2016, was brought in to replace injured Paul Harris. A plan to enlist former San Beda foreign player Donald Tankoua was set aside when Sutton agreed to fly in. Tankoua, who lives here, remains a practice player. Harris strained his hamstring in his fifth game and couldn’t rehab immediately because of COVID-19, finally deciding to leave last Friday. “We’ll miss Paul,” said assistant coach Jamike Jarin. “With Paul, we just followed his lead. Before taking off, he told us his consolation is going home to his wife and kids whom he missed during the holidays.”

When Sutton showed up for his first practice, he looked listless, not jumping for rebounds, content to tip the ball off misses and the coaching staff wondered if he was injured. But against TNT, Sutton more than held his own despite his low numbers and fired up his teammates. “Not bad for two days of practice,” said Jarin. “Now, we’ve got a post threat. He’ll be better when we play next against Magnolia on Saturday.”

Sutton, 35, was on the Santa Cruz Warriors team that won the NBA D-League title in 2015. He has played in 12 countries outside the US and was on a championship team in Bahrain. Jarin said he’s a fit in Robinson’s system. “With coach Topex, our culture is to give players the freedom to decide and use their best judgment on the court,” he said. “We’re a young team and sometimes, we get excited when we’re ahead. But we’re maturing.” Phoenix’ downside is injuries. Larry Muyang hurt his shoulder at practice, Nico Salva is nursing a groin injury and Sean Anthony is out for the conference to undergo surgery for a sports hernia.