PBA: Despite nursing an ankle injury, Dondon Hontiveros catches fire for Alaska

Dondon Hontiveros struggled from the three-point arc all series long, but the shooting guard finally waxed hot for Alaska in the crucial Game Six of the semifinals against Rain or Shine on Sunday.

The Cebuano hotshot never attempted any field goal inside the arc, hitting all his treys in the fourth quarter alone to revive the Aces who were down 56-60 after the third frame.

The 37-year-old shooter scored 17 points to lead Alaska to its 27th finals appearance in the PBA, including the game-winning trey that broke the 76-76 deadlock, all despite suffering a sprained ankle in the semifinals stretch.

Bothered by the injury, he only shot 6-of-28 in the first five games for a measly 21 percent until Game Six.

"Malaking bagay 'yung break kasi inalagaan ako ng staff," said Hontiveros, who had a week of rest before forging on to Game Six with the rest of the Alaska squad. "Di ako iniwan ng mga staff namin."

He also said that head coach Alex Compton gave him a leeway in team practices as a veteran, understanding his need for more rest compared to the younger players.

"Naging mabait si coach Alex sa amin ni Eric (Menk) na there will be days na mag-si-sit out kami sa practice," he said. "We have to really take care of our bodies, take a rest, have good nutrition."

Hontiveros admitted that he has a difficult time keeping up with Alaska's intense full court press defensive system, but he is determined to go hard for the team during his minutes in the rotation.

"At my age, mahirap yata," he said. "Pero nakita naman namin na walang naglalaro ng lampas ng 30 minutes, so kung nasa loob ka, you just give your best. Kahit napapagod, napapalitan naman e."

Asked about his explosion from beyond the arc, Hontiveros downplays his performance to simply luck and ample preparation of the team against the Elasto Painters.

"Confident ako going to the game na mawe-weather namin 'yung storm," the shooter said. "Napakita namin 'yung depensa namin early on, and 'yun nga sinuwerte ako." - RAF, GMA News