NLEX guard Kevin Alas suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear in his right knee in the opening minute of Game 5 of the 2018 PBA Philippine Cup semifinals between NLEX and Magnolia.
Alas told ESPN5 that the initial finding of Dr. George Canlas, the same surgeon who operated on Magnolia's Marc Pingris after the latter also tore his ACL in Game 1, said he would be sidelined for eight months.
"Initial Diagnosis of Doc Canlas ACL Tear (8months out)," he said in a message.
Alas also had an MRI done on Monday afternoon and the based on the results, he suffered a complete ACL tear.
In a statement posted on the NLEX's official Twitter account, Alas said he will take his time in recovering from his injury.
"In 2015, I had surgery done after I had a tear in my left ankle. Based on my experience then, I just need to be patient and religious with my therapy, and not rush my recovery so that when I come back, I'll know I'm at 100 percent," he said.
"I'm sad that this unfortunate incident happened, but I hope I inspire my teammates and this serves as motivation for them," he added. "I still believe God has the best plan."
Just 40 seconds into Game 5 on Sunday, Alas drove to the basket and fell to the floor. He grimaced in pain and was slow to get up. He limped out of the court and headed to the team's locker room for treatment before deciding to sit out the remainder of the game.
His backcourt partner Kiefer Ravena said after the 87-78 loss the team will miss Alas' presence on the floor because "he is really an integral part of our system."
The injury of Alas, who is averaging 11.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game in the Philippine Cup, comes as a major blow to the Road Warriors who are trailing the series against Magnolia, 3-2.
"We will definitely miss Kevin," said NLEX coach Yeng Guiao. "He is, after all, a key player in our rotation. But while this will disrupt our plans, it will not stop or discourage us from our purpose of making our first finals appearance."