Rain or Shine's Norbert Torres (29) had five rebounds in under 19 minutes of playing time. Richard Esguerra, ABS-CBN Sports

MANILA, Philippines – Three weeks after getting stabbed outside an establishment in Bonifacio Global City, Rain or Shine big man Norbert Torres is slowly regaining his rhythm inside the basketball court.

Playing for the first time since the incident, Torres logged 18 minutes and 26 seconds of playing time against the Meralco Bolts on Sunday at the Araneta Coliseum. He missed all five of the shots he took but grabbed nine boards, and was a plus-9 during his time on the floor.

Rain or Shine finished with a 106-99 overtime win over Mai visioneralco, sealing their spot as the top seed of the 2018 PBA Commissioner’s Cup.

READ: Elasto Painters clinch No. 1 with overtime win over Meralco

For Torres, it was a relief just to be on the court.

“It feels good to be back doing what I love,” said Torres, who sustained a deep wound on his left arm that needed several stitches. “I’m just really blessed that nothing major happened, and I can still play basketball.”

“There wasn’t any pain today,” he added. “So I’m grateful for that.”

Torres was with his former De La Salle University teammates, Jeron Teng and Thomas Torres, when the incident happened. Of the three, only the Rain or Shine big man has returned to the court as both Teng and Torres are still working their way back.

Remarkably, Torres missed only two games for Rain or Shine.

“I’m good, I’m in shape,” he said. “I was working really hard. Kahit I couldn’t practice with the team, I was doing other conditioning drills.”

He admits that he is still regaining his rhythm, however. “It took a while before I could come back na fully 100% confident,” he said. “I still need to be aware that I have a cut.”

“It took a while, but now, it’s just more of finding my rhythm when I play,” he added.

“It was slow, the transition, but I was able to practice this whole week with full contact. It’s all about finding rhythm now.”

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