NLEX’s stunning overtime victory over TNT came at a heavy price as import DeQuan Jones suffered a gruesome leg injury that forced him out of the game and left the Road Warriors facing a major question heading into the next stretch of the PBA Season 50 Governors’ Cup.
Jones went down at the 7:27 mark of the third quarter during NLEX’s 118-111 overtime victory over TNT on Tuesday at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.
For head coach Jimmy Alapag, however, the biggest concern was never the basketball.
“First and foremost, my deepest prayers go out to DJ. More than a basketball player, it’s the person,” Alapag said.
The NLEX coach revealed that he and Jones had just shared lunch a day before the game, making the injury even more difficult to see.
“Him and I just had lunch yesterday and his value to this team goes far beyond what he does on the basketball court,” Alapag said.
“It’s the person, it’s the leadership, it’s the character. So it’s heartbreaking to see him go down.”
Rather than allow the injury to derail them, Alapag challenged his players to finish the job for Jones.
“I told them when DJ went down, the best thing that we could do to just honor what he means to this team is to come out and fight for the rest of the game,” he said.
And the Road Warriors responded.
Robert Bolick delivered the biggest shots of regulation before rookie LJ Gonzales took over in overtime, allowing NLEX to escape with the 118-111 victory and improve to 7-1 in Group A.
Still, the win could not completely erase the concern surrounding Jones.
Alapag admitted that the team now has to determine its next move with its import situation, with NLEX’s next game coming Friday.
“You never expect your import to go down,” Alapag said.
“From here, after we speak to the team, I’ll get our staff together with management and try to figure out what we can do.”
“Big-time loss for our team, but we’ll try to find somebody who can fill that void.”
For NLEX, the victory keeps them on top of Group A.
But the bigger story coming out of Antipolo is the health of DeQuan Jones and how the Road Warriors can possibly replace what they could lose if their import is sidelined for an extended period. (Jesus Nathaniel Valdez)
