The pressure in the final seconds of a game isn't a joke — but that's exactly where David Murrell's true colors showed.
In their PBA On Tour clash last Wednesday at the San Jose Del Monte Sports Complex in Bulacan, Murrell stole the ball from Evan Nelle and took it coast-to-coast for a breakaway, two-handed slam — a play that broke the 107-all deadlock and sparked Blackwater's 109-107 win over NLEX.
According to details from PBA.ph, there were only 30 seconds left on the clock when that play happened. And even though the Road Warriors got two more chances to tie the game, the Bossing's defense held firm all the way to the final buzzer.
Behind this moment, there's a story that didn't get as much attention. Deonte Burton, NLEX's new import, was at the venue and ready to play what would've been his warm-up game before the Governors' Cup — but the team chose not to field him.
The reason? Kentrell Barkley was still unavailable for Blackwater. Instead of taking the obvious advantage, NLEX opted to "level the playing field" and held back Burton, who's set to replace the injured Dequan Jones.
In the game itself, Blackwater controlled much of the flow. From a slim 84-83 lead, they stretched their cushion to 97-89 thanks to a 13-6 run.
But the Road Warriors weren't about to fold. They answered with a scoring run of their own that leveled the game at 107-107 — before Murrell erased any chance of overtime.
In the final seconds, NLEX had one more shot at tying it up, but both Evan Nelle and Lorenz Capulong missed their attempts.
Here's the key detail: the result doesn't actually affect the Governors' Cup standings since this is part of a series of tune-up games ahead of the real competition. NLEX remains atop Group A with a 7-2 record, while Blackwater sits at 3-3 in Group B.
PBA On Tour continues this weekend — San Miguel takes on Phoenix at 6 p.m. in Ilagan, Isabela on Saturday, followed by the Meralco-Converge game in Santiago, Isabela on Sunday.
📊 Context / Box Score Highlights: (Data via PBA.ph)
Final Score: Blackwater 109 – NLEX 107
Game-Winning Play: David Murrell steal + transition dunk, 0:30 remaining
Key Blackwater Run: 13-6 (from 84-83 to 97-89)
NLEX Comeback Run: Answered back to tie the game at 107-all
Standings Update: NLEX 7-2 (Group A) | Blackwater 3-3 (Group B)
Note: Preseason tune-up game only; does not affect Governors' Cup standings
Source: PBA.ph
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