BARANGAY Ginebra veteran forward Rudy Hatfield turned back the hands of time as he scored a career-high 30 points in leading the Kings to a scintillating 94-91 win over Talk ‘N Text, which led him to be awarded with the PBA Player of the Week award for the period of March 12 to 18 in the ongoing PBA Commissioner’s Cup.
The 34-year-old Hatfield added 14 rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block. More importantly, he provided hustle and energy needed to down the powerhouse Tropang Texters.
Hatfield seemingly was at the end of his career after he left the Kings last season for personal reasons. However, he showed that he was back for good as he shot an incredible 14-of-21 from the field.
Hatfield missed a wide-open three-pointer, but that hardly mattered as he scattered 13 of his points in the fourth period, including his team’s last five points in regulation, and added two in the extension to break his old career-best of 28 set with Tanduay in his 2000 rookie year.
The win was crucial for Ginebra as it pushed its record to 4-3 (win-loss) and into a tie with the Powerade Tigers for third place heading to their important matches against Barako Bull and Air21. Should the Kings win those, they have a shot at realizing a top two finish and nailing an automatic semifinals berth. /Correspondent Jonas Panerio