The Elasto Painters will enter the Commissioner's Cup playoffs as the PBA's hottest team
Rain or Shine nearly blew a late seven-point lead, but the Elasto Painters managed to to eke out a 112-11 win over the Converge FiberXers Sunday in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup.
Demetrius Treadwell led Rain or Shine with 21 points, 17 rebounds, and eight assists. Beau Belga added 19 points, four rebounds, two assists, and two steals in what was essentially a non-bearing game at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City.
Nevertheless, it ended up being a wild finish as the Elasto Painters saw a 109-102 lead entering the final two minutes reduced to one after a King Caralipio triple from the left corner with 5.2 ticks to go.
In the ensuing play, JL Delos Santos stole an inbound pass by Gabe Norwood, brought the ball down and kicked out to Caralipio in the right corner but he wasn’t able to release the ball on time.
Surviving a late scare, Rain or Shine capped the elimination round with six straight victories for a 6-5 record good for seventh spot. They will face either the Phoenix Fuel Masters or the San Miguel Beermen in the quarterfinals.
“Finding the right import lang,” said Belga when asked about how the Elasto Painters flipped the script halfway through the elimination round, after they started 0-5.
“Nakakuha sila coach ng import na inside operator. Medyo nag-spread 'yung [floor] kasi kayang dominahin ni Tree yung loob e.”
The ROS win was the final to the woes of the FiberXers, who ended their campaign with a 1-10 slate.
Jamil Wilson, who scored 50 points in their previous loss to NLEX Road Warriors, finished with 26 points on 1-of-7 clip from the three-point area. He also had 13 rebounds, nine assists, a steal, and three blocks.