Chris Newsome's return from injury to Meralco ends with a win

Chris Newsome is back in action for the Meralco Bolts in the PBA Governors' Cup. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines – Chris Newsome made a victorious return to the Meralco lineup as the Bolts cruised past Northport 109-99 in Group A of the PBA Governors' Cup at Ninoy Aquino Stadium on Sunday.

After weeks of battling a sprained left ankle and knee, Newsome was back in action for the Bolts and capped off his return with a win over Batang Pier.

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“[My] “My knee is OK and stable, nothing structurally wrong, but the ankle has been bothering me for a while. I sprained it again and tried to play anyway, but now I'm 90 to 95 percent,” Newsome said.

READ: PBA: Allen Durham leads Meralco-Pullaway, beats NorthPort

“I came out of today injury-free and now I just have to stick with the therapy.”

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Newsome played cautiously in his return for coach Luigi Trillo, not shooting as much as he once did when healthy.

The MVP of the Season 48 Philippine Cup finals only scored eight points but had six assists and five rebounds in the win that gave Meralco a 3-1 lead.

Newsome sprained his ankle and knee in Meralco's loss to TNT a few days ago.

READ: PBA: Allen Durham says there is more work for him and Meralco

Still, the Gilas playmaker is happy that the Bolts are improving their performance even without their most important playmaker.

“I'm more impressed with our games last time, when they were able to get the wins without me and Cliff beforehand. [Hodge] went out early with only seven minutes of play, without Raymond (Almazan), without Allein (Maliksi), and that said a lot about the character of this team,” said Newsome.

Newsome's return was marred by the absence of a large portion of the Bolts' team due to injuries on Sunday, including Almazan, Maliksi, Aaron Black and Norbert Torres.

Meralco, however, seems to be making the most of Newsome's return to the field when the Bolts face Converge at the Araneta Coliseum on Wednesday.