Phoenix coach on struggling Matthew Wright's heroics: 'He'll always take that shot'

For Phoenix Super LPG head coach Topex Robinson, his main gunner in Matthew Wright will always be up to take that clutch shot—regardless of the circumstances.

That was proven to be true when the Filipino-Canadian buried a crucial basket late in the game against the surging Rain or Shine to hand Phoenix its second victory in six games, 78-77.

Wright had struggled in the contest, missing his first 14 attempts in the game. That was hardly a deterrent, though, when it came to taking the one that mattered the most, a go-ahead jumper that put his team in front, 78-76, with two seconds left on the clock.

That was his first and only field goal in the game as he finished with four points on 1-for-15 shooting from the field and 2-for-3 from the charity stripe. He also grabbed 12 rebounds and dished out five assists.

But his coach was hardly surprised when Wright took matters into his own hands as the Fuel Masters rose back after being down by as many as 17 points.

"Matthew will win games for us and he will lose games for us but no matter what, he will always take a shot," Robinson said in the post-game press conference.

"I don't have to tell Matt to take a shot but no matter what, he will always take that shot. He's the winner. He wants to win. He'll find ways to win."

Robinson lauded Rain or Shine for its defense that prevented Wright from displaying his usual offensive prowess.

"We have to give credit to Rain or Shine's defense, they have really solid defenders who were really making it hard for Matthew to take shots," Robinson added.

"He struggled a bit. And when the money shot came and he was open, no doubt, he was going to take that shot."

Phoenix will look to build on this momentum when they face NLEX on Saturday, September 4.

—JMB, GMA News