Meralco’s gloomy campaign in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Season 50 Philippine Cup semifinals turned bleaker with uncertainty in ace guard Chris Newsome’s return after suffering a knee injury.

As if going down 1-3 in the best-of-seven series against TNT isn’t bad enough, the Bolts are now looking to survive with the possibility of their main playmaker and prolific scorer sitting helplessly on the sidelines.

Newsome sustained a medial collateral ligament sprain in his left knee after teammate Chris Banchero accidentally landed on his leg with just two minutes left in Meralco’s Game 3 win.

The 2024 Philippine Cup Finals Most Valuable Player watched his team get pummeled by the Tropang 5G, 83-102, last Sunday in Game 4 at the Mall of Asia Arena.

“Right now, I’m just going through the recovery process. Take the precautions I need to do for me to be able to get back on the court. Listening to team doctors and team physicians and taking it one step at a time until I’m able to get back on the court,” Newsome said after the match.

“I wish my team luck for now.”

Newsome said his recovery could take anywhere from three to five weeks.

“There’s a possibility it could be shorter, depending on the severity of the sprain. Right now, I’m just waiting for the inflammation to go down a bit and we’ll be able to turn things up to where we have a better timeline to my return,” he said.

Meralco will have a two-day rest before plunging into its first do-or-die match of the series in Game 5 on Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Newsome could only hope for a positive development on his injury and return to action, although the Bolts are already taking a cautious approach on their prized veteran.

“Game 5, I mean, that would be a tough one to try to reach. But it does help that we have extra days in between the games. So, I’ll be doing my share of recovery work from now until Wednesday to see if I can get out on court,” he said.

“But it’s already a good sign that I’m able to walk and stand on my own. So now it’s just a matter of getting the clearance from my doctor and making sure that everything structurally is good to go. Once I get that clearance to go, there’s a possibility you could see me in Game 5.”

But Bolts head coach Luigi Trillo tempered expectations on Newsome’s possible return.

“The MRI showed that it’s clear but now there’s still pain so we have to wait and see. But at this point I think, his priority has to be his health,” Trillo said.

“I don’t see him playing in the next game as well.”