MANILA, Philippines – Romeo Travis admitted he was not in his best form in his first game back from a right ankle injury as Magnolia took a 22-point beating from Barangay Ginebra in the PBA Governors’ Cup.

The defending champion Hotshots lost their third straight game after a sluggish second-half showing led to an 83-105 defeat on Sunday, October 20. 

Sidelined in their six-point loss to Blackwater barely a week ago, Travis returned and put up 17 points, 17 rebounds, and 5 assists, but shot a dismal 6-of-17 from the field and committed 5 turnovers.

“I didn’t play well enough to give us a chance to win – the turnovers for me – and I missed a lot of shots that I normally would make,” said Travis. 

“Just the overall rhythm of the game – I didn’t have a good rhythm. I guess that’s what happens when you sit out for 10 days and try to just play.” 

But Travis did not make the injury an excuse, noting Magnolia almost defeated San Miguel and Blackwater without him on the court. 

The Hotshots lost to the Beermen, 89-90, and to the Elite, 89-95. 

In fact, their latest loss was their worst of the conference, with the rest of their defeats having a margin of not more than 6 points. 

“Injuries are part of the game. San Miguel game, we had a chance. Blackwater game, we had a chance. Today, we didn’t really have a chance.”

“The turnovers really gave them the momentum and we never got it back. We never got the stops,” Travis said as the Hotshots committed 22 turnovers, which the the Gin Kings turned to 25 points. 

Despite being on a slump, the good news for Travis is his ankle is “getting better” as Magnolia aims to snap its skid against Columbian next Sunday, October 27, at the Araneta Coliseum. 

And as far as Travis is concerned, he just needs to deal with his situation. 

“I can only keep on working and keep trying and keep playing hard and live with the results. If you leave it all out there and play hard, you just live with the results.” – Rappler.com