Vic Manuel was hardly seen during Phoenix Super LPG’s 2021 Honda PBA Philippine Cup clash versus Rain or Shine, Thursday at the DHVSU Gym.
The ‘Muscle Man’ only played for a total of three minutes and 12 seconds, and only had a point and a rebound against one turnover.
He was logging in an average of 28.19 minutes prior to the conference resumption, with norms of 18.8 points and 8.0 rebounds.
His scoring ways were definitely missed but fortunately, the Fuel Masters managed to eke out the 78-77 victory after falling by as deep as 17.
Head coach Topex Robinson said that the 34-year-old forward was not in his best condition, thus the very limited playing time.
“Vic was a bit under the weather coming into this game,” the youthful mentor bared moments after the win, their second in six outings.
Robinson, though, said that Manuel actually volunteered to play longer. But the coaches decided not to play him anymore to save him for the next game.
After battling the Elasto Painters, Phoenix will only have a day of respite before facing NLEX (3-2) on Saturday at 2:00 p.m.
It would be a clash of squads coming off big wins, with the Road Warriors fresh from their 84-74 conquest of Alaska earlier in the day.
“We’re gonna have back-to-back games, so I think the smart move is to rest him and prepare him for NLEX,” he said. “But he was ready. He’s ready to play.
“It’s just a matter of trying to get him in top condition so resting him is the best decision as of now because we want to keep him fresh for NLEX.”
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