Cone says wrist injury grounded Malonzo in Sunday's game

MANILA, Philippines: Barangay Ginebra coach Tim Cone said high-flying wingman Jamie Malonzo was forced to sit out Sunday’s match against Blackwater due to a wrist injury he suffered after making his season debut versus Rain or Shine.

The American mentor explained that Malonzo hurt his wrist following a bad fall while coming off a dunk in the team’s 107-102 victory over Rain or Shine last Friday.

“Jamie had that bad fall in Friday’s game. You can see he has a fat lip on his mouth and he hurt his wrist when he was falling. The wrist was the reason he didn’t play,” said Cone in the post-game chat with media after Sunday’s 90-87 come-from-behind win against Blackwater.

Cone utilized just eight players against the Bossing, with four of them logging 40 or more minutes in a match that saw the Gin Kings fall behind by 17 points in the first quarter.

But with import Tony Bishop, Christian Standhardinger and Maverick Ahanmisi striking hard in the second half, Ginebra managed to turn the tables against Blackwater en route to booking its third win in four starts.

Cone said with Ginebra heading to a break from action, Malonzo can get the much-needed treatment on his wrist with the hope of reactivating the former La Salle and Gilas athletic forward back come Sunday against Terrafirma.

“We don’t play until Sunday so we are hoping that by Sunday, he should be fine and ready to go,” said Cone.

The 6-foot-7 Malonzo skipped the team’s first two games in the PBA Season 48 Commissioner’s Cup as he recovers from a back injury he sustained last September during the 2023 FIBA World Cup held in Manila.