Rain or Shine survived a defensive game where neither the Elasto Painters nor the Magnolia Hotshots scored in the last three and a half minutes of play.
Rain or Shine extended its win streak to three after surviving skidding Magnolia in a scrappy affair, 102-100, in the PBA Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium in Malate on Wednesday, Dec. 18.
After squandering a double-digit lead late in the second half, the Elasto Painters leaned on the two-way play of Andrei Caracut as he propelled them to a 16-2 finishing kick against the Hotshots who are now losers in four straight games.
Rain or Shine actually looked in trouble early in the fourth quarter as Magnolia unleashed a 20-3 run in the frame to lead by 12, 86-98, on a Mark Barroca trey with 6:44 left to play.
But the reeling Hotshots would go cold from there as they only managed to score once for the rest of the game.
The struggles continued for Magnolia which also saw import Ricardo Ratliffe foul out in the final minutes, which further limited its scoring options.
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Adrian Nocum capped off Rain or Shine’s game-deciding run with a transition basket with 3:28 remaining to put his squad up, 102-100.
That was the last basket of the match as both teams struggled from the field.
The Hotshots had one last chance at snapping their losing streak when Jerom Lastimosa fired a four-pointer at the top of the key in the dying seconds of the match, but it hit the front rim as Yeng Guiao’s Elasto Painters held on for the victory.
Caracut earned Player of the Game honors with his late game heroics. He finished with 15 points on an efficient 4-for-6 shooting clip.
Rain or Shine draws level with Meralco at 3-1 to keep pace with the top four teams. Meanwhile, Magnolia skidded to 1-4.