MANILA, Philippines – Rain or Shine hit two birds with one stone with a come-from-behind 104-94 win over Blackwater in the 2018 PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the Araneta Coliseum on Friday, June 8.

The Elasto Painters, who improved to a league-leading 7-1 record, bolstered their chances for a twice-to-beat incentive heading in the quarterfinals all the while eliminating the Elite, who fell to 1-8, from playoff contention. 

Chris Tiu flirted with a triple-double of 17 points off 5 triples to go with 10 assists and 7 rebounds as Rain or Shine used a blistering 4th-quarter run to stave off the pesky Blackwater side for its 4th straight win. 

Trailing 72-80 heading into the payoff period, the Elasto Painters dropped a 25-6 run, spiked by 3 consecutive Tiu treys, to turn the tides and take the life out of Blackwater.

“I think the players were too complacent today, too relaxed. And ang sinabi ko nga sa kanila, ‘This can’t be like what happened sa Columbian.’ We just came to the game thinking we won the game, ‘di pa naman tapos ang laro,” said Rain or Shine head coach Caloy Garcia.

(I think the players were too complacent today, too relaxed. I told them, ‘This can’t be like what happened with our game against Columbian.’ We just came to the game thinking we won even if the we still have not finished the game yet.) 

“The nice thing today was we played good defense sa (in the) 4th quarter and Chris started hitting his shots.”

Raymond Almazan finished with a career-high 26 points on top of 12 rebounds and two blocks and import Reggie Johnson churned out 17 points, 20 rebounds and 7 assists in the win. 

Maverick Ahanmisi added another 17 points and 5 rebounds for the Elasto Painters. 

Allein Maliksi had 23 points and 7 rebounds to pace the Elite, who still showed composure despite losing import Henry Walker in the first quarter due to a left shoulder injury. 

John Pinto backstopped Maliksi with 16 points on a perfect 4-of-4 clip from deep to go with 4 assists, 3 rebounds and two steals. 

The Scores:

Rain or Shine (104): Almazan (career-high) 26, Ahanmisi 17, Tiu 17, Johnson 17, Belga 6, Norwood 5, Borboran 5, Ponferada 4, Daquioag 3, Yap 2, Washington 2, Onwubere 0, Maiquez 0, Nambatac 0. Casino 0

Blackwater (94): Maliksi 23, Pinto 16, Erram 10, Zamar 9, Sumang 8, Jose 7, Sena 6, Digregorio 4, Al-Hussaini 4, Cortez 3, Belo 2, Walker 2, Banal 0, Cruz 0, Palma 0, Javier 0

Quarter scores: 25-28, 52-47, 72-80, 104-94

– Rappler.com