SMB gunner buries game-winner.
San Miguel Beer guard Marcio Lassiter missed six attempts from his supposed ‘sweet spot’ all night long, but that didn’t deter him from firing one even with the game on the line.
Lassiter nailed a three-point shot with seven-tenths of a second left to power the defending champion Beermen to a nail-biting 94-93 win against NLEX in the PBA Governors’ Cup last night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The 6-foot-2 guard was able to elude the defense of Jonas Villanueva, and then squared off for that huge shot that found nothing but net.
NLEX had a chance to win but the triple attempt of Villanueva that Lassiter challenged at the buzzer was short, giving San Miguel a 2-0 record to tie Meralco and Mahindra for the early lead.
“Every time I touch the ball, if I have a good look, I always try to shoot it,” said Lassiter, who scored eight points on 3-of-10 shooting from the field while adding nine rebounds and two assists.
“I always have that type of confidence that I can knock the shot. I really wasn’t aware that I missed six (three-point shots). I just tried to continue shooting, keep on shooting. It will fall.”
“And thank God it did that helped us win the game. It was definitely in Top Five plays of my career. This game-winner surely is one of the best in my career,” added Lassiter, who twice blew kisses while raising three fingers in the air after that trey as his jubilant teammates mobbed the player who idolizes Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors.
That basket by Lassiter capped a 6-0 run as SMB trailed by five points, 88-93, following a jump shot from top of the key by NLEX’s veteran center Asi Taulava with 1:04 remaining in the game.
Scores:
First Game
SAN MIGUEL 94 – Reid 23, Cabagnot 19, Fajardo 14, David 13, Lassiter 8, De Ocampo 0, Arana 4, Ross 3, Reyes 2, Mabulac 0, Semerad 0, Tubid 0, Heruela 0.
NLEX 93 – Walker 33, Villanueva 14, Anthony 9, Villanueva E. 8, Akl 7, Khobuntin 6, Taulava 6, Alas 4, Monfort 3, Lanete 3, Baracael 0.
Quarters: 23-22, 51-41, 68-68, 94-93.