Chris Newsome stays in the fight as Meralco faces do-or-die without star guard 

Chris Newsome’s jersey never touched the floor in Game 4, but his voice never left the huddle.

Sidelined by an MCL injury, the Meralco star was forced to watch as the Bolts absorbed a 102–83 loss to TNT in the PBA Philippine Cup semifinals. Yet even in street clothes, Newsome remained deeply involved, turning the bench into his temporary command post as Meralco tried to navigate life without one of its emotional and tactical anchors.

“He’s still here. In spirit, huddles, he always talks to us. He tells us what to do. While he’s physically not on the court, he still talks to us for us to play well,” Brandon Bates said at Mall of Asia Arena on Sunday night.

That presence mattered, even as the result didn’t go Meralco’s way.

With Newsome unavailable, the Bolts leaned on balance scoring. Chris Banchero led the way with 19 points, CJ Cansino followed with 17, and Cliff Hodge matched that output while adding eight rebounds. The effort, however, wasn’t enough to stop TNT from taking a commanding 3–1 series lead.

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#WATCH: JUST GOING THROUGH THE RECOVER PROCESS

Chris Newsome is taking it one step at a time as he recovers from an MCL sprain#ReadMore https://t.co/cbI1SFALac

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“Obviously, when you lose one of your main guys, it’s always going to be difficult but you have to have that next man up mentality.” 

For Raymond Almazan, Newsome’s value extends far beyond what shows up on the stat sheet.

“He’s our leader, not just on the court but off it as well,” Almazan said. “These things happen, so somebody has to step up. We’re down 3-1, but this series isn’t over yet. We still believe we can push it to Game 7.”

Almazan finished with seven points and seven rebounds, a modest line that reflected a team still searching for answers while refusing to fold.

Now facing elimination, Meralco turns its focus to Game 5 on Wednesday at Araneta Coliseum. Whether or not Newsome can return remains uncertain, but one thing is already clear: even sidelined, he remains central to how the Bolts fight to keep their season alive.

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