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Thornton has 69 points and dunk that didn’t count
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Al Thornton had 69 points, the most in the PBA in over two decades. He hit one tough shot after another, making 26 out of 47 from the field. But of all the baskets he made, the most important of all didn’t count.
Tied at 118 with only 1.1 seconds left in the second overtime, Thornton leaped high to get the inbound pass, landed, then jumped again for a two-handed dunk as the buzzer sounded.
As the play happened, it looked as if the ball was already out of Thornton’s hands when the clock ran out, but replay showed the former NBA veteran came just a tenth of a second slow, prompting the referees to waive the basket off.
The game went into a third OT where NLEX dropped a 131-127 decision to San Miguel Beer.
“I thought it counted,” Thornton told reporters while shaking his head.
“The only reason I dunked the ball because I saw June Mar coming so I feel like he would’ve blocked it,” recalled Thornton, referring to the Beermen’s 6-foot-11 center June Mar Fajardo. “I should’ve laid it up.”
That one mistake and unfavorable result, however, won’t ruin Thornton’s incredible game even if he doesn’t want to put much into it rather than just being ordinary.
“We lost to it’s not really that significant,” he said. “That’s my highest in my career but when I score like that it usually results to a win so it’s kind of bittersweet.”
It has been a while since a player in the PBA reached the 60-point plateau.
Thornton became just the first player since Askia Jones had 60 in 2001 and his output is also the most since Jay Edwards scored as much points in the 1994 Governors’ Cup, as per head statistician Fidel Mangonon.
“Unbelievable game. I just wish it went in our favor. I wish we had 1.3 instead of 1.1 in that second overtime,” said NLEX center Asi Taulava. “When I was in there, I don’t want the ball anymore. Here Al, go shoot the ball. When coach was running plays for me or running another play, I was like, let’s just get the ball to Al.”
“He was just in the zone. I wished he had gotten to 70 and that would’ve probably got us the win. I told him you gotta come back next game and do the same thing,” Taulava added.
The 32-year-old forward found himself in a duel with Beermen import Tyler Wilkerson, who also lit up the scoreboard with 58 points, and their combined 127 points were the most by two imports since Mitchell Wiggins and Lambert Shell fired 78 and 57 points, respectively in the 1994 Commissioner’s Cup.
Their showdown reminded Thornton of the days when they were still playing in Puerto Rico.
“I played against him a couple times. In Puerto Rico I got the best of him. I few times that we played. He got the best of me tonight. He had a wonderful game, terrific game. Hats off to him,” Thornton said of Wilkerson.
“He’s improved. He’s definitely improved. His outside shot has definitely improved. He improved as a scorer and I don’t remember him being that good but like I said, I wish him the best.”
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