Meralco's playoff aspirations took a huge blow on Sunday, Nov. 27 as aside from absorbing a crucial 108-96 loss against Magnolia, the Bolts are expected to play their must-win game against NLEX without center Raymond Almazan.
Almazan rolled his right ankle at the 10:27 mark in the fourth quarter following a layup attempt and was grimacing in pain in the sidelines. He had to be helped by his teammates towards the bench and the Bolts dugout.
While Meralco is still hopeful that Almazan’s injury wouldn’t turn out anything serious, head coach Norman Black is already ruling out the possibility of his 6-foot-7 center playing in their next game on Wednesday, Nov. 30.
“I don't see him playing on Wednesday. We have to see a doctor tomorrow to find out the extent of the injury but the way it looks, it’s pretty bad,” said Black.
The injury compounded the woes for the Bolts during that game after it also missed the services of main gunner Allein Maliksi who hit the showers early following a technical foul and flagrant foul penalty 1 incursions in the first half
Without the two, the Bolts never recovered from a double-digit deficit in the final frame after allowing Magnolia to explode for 47 points in the third quarter, snapping its three game winning run and falling to a 4-6 record in the standings.
More importantly, Almazan’s absence will leave a huge gaping hole inside the paint for the Bolts as they head into the two most crucial games in their Commissioner's Cup campaign -- first, against NLEX and second, versus San Miguel -- two games that will determine their playoff fate.
Black, though, stayed defiant despite the series of misfortunes for his team, especially that the Bolts have already proved that they can thrive in pressure-packed situations evident when they recovered from a 1-5 start in the conference.
“We’ve been in this situation for quite a while now, so the game against NLEX both teams in a crucial game, basically it just gives you a chance of getting a tie so that’s a must win situation for us. We still have San Miguel after that,” added Black.