MANILA, Philippines – Phoenix’s bid for a quarterfinals slot in the 2018 PBA Commissioner’s Cup just got a lot tougher following a 3rd straight defeat. 

The Fuel Masters suffered a 107-115 loss to the Columbian Dyip on Sunday, June 10, for a woeful 3-5 record that put them in a must-win scenario in the final stretch of the eliminations to gain a seat in the playoffs. 

And it definitely won’t be easy. 

Phoenix must pull out all the stops when it clashes with heavyweights Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, Alaska Aces and the GlobalPort Batang Pier. 

Rain or Shine carries a league-best 7-1 card, Alaska boasts a 6-1 record off a 6-game winning streak while GlobalPort proves to be just as deadly with a 3-4 slate. 

For Phoenix star Matthew Wright, they wouldn’t have faced the predicament had they been quick in preventing the Dyip from gaining momentum.

Columbian had 6 players finishing in double figures while the Fuel Masters had only 3. 

“We let them linger too long. We gave them confidence. These are kinds of teams that you should…you got to step on their throats early but we didn’t do that,” said Wright.

If the Fuel Masters drop one of their remaining outings, they would be in the same position as they were in the Philippine Cup where they missed the playoffs due to an inferior quotient. 

Still, Wright is riding on the next-game mentality.

“Every conference is a different journey. We just got to win the next 3 games. That’s all,” he said. 

Phoenix will meet the Elasto Painters on Saturday, June 16, at the Mall of Asia Arena. – Rappler.com