Import Deon Thompson steered the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters to the PBA Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup semifinals.
When Deon Thompson is on the floor, good things happen to Rain or Shine.
For the second straight game, Thompson did not foul out and thus keyed the Elasto Painters' disposal of Converge, 112-103, in Game 3 of the PBA Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup quarterfinals Sunday, Feb. 9.
[RELATED STORY: Rain or Shine makes Commissioner's Cup semis after Game 3 win over Converge | PBA Highlights]
Thompson, who exited just in the third quarter of Rain or Shine's loss in the series opener after incurring six fouls, played his best game yet, churning out a conference-high 34 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists to help his squad set up a semifinal clash against TNT.
No one was prouder than Elasto Painters coach Yeng Guiao as his charges will head to the penultimate stage for the third straight time.
Guiao, who did not hide his frustration on the officiating in Game 1, had nothing but praise for his ward whom he described as the “most underrated" import.
Deon Thompson shows his worth for the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters. | Photo (c) RM Chua/One Sports
“I think, among all of the imports, he has been the most underrated. [He is the] Lowest scoring import probably but he has had his best game today. Just three assist short of a triple double. Not only that, he did it on the defensive side,” said Guiao of Deon, who also had two steals and three blocks.
“He’s not been really noticed, but we know what he means [to the team] and I believe he’s a big part of the success that we have right now.”
[ALSO READ: Mike Watkins paces Best Import derby, but RHJ, Kadeem Jack not too far behind]
Another player who deserves the credit was Adrian Nocum.
Nocum rose to the occasion anew, firing 25 points, his fourth career-best. He also had three rebounds, three assists and a steal.
The high-flying guard made his presence felt in the fourth period, dropping five straight points to cap an 11-0 run that gave the Elasto Painters a 91-80 lead early in the frame.
But putting Converge away was not that simple.
Behind Alec Stockton, the FiberXers rallied to trim the gap to five, 97-102, on his jumper over Nocum with still 3:50 left to play.
[ALSO READ: Ticking off my Bucket List: Alec Stockton targets PBA crown for Converge]
Converge and Rain or Shine went back-and-forth after that until the Elasto Painters clamped down on defense to avoid disaster and came through with the thrilling victory.
“We’re very happy. This is what we’ve been trying to achieve. The past two conferences, we made the semifinals. It would be a pity if we did not make the semis this conference,” said Guiao.
“It’s also a validation of the hard work the guys put in and the togetherness, the camaraderie that they have.”
Stockton paced Converge with 26 points and six assists.
Import Cheick Diallo added 19 points, 13 rebounds, two assists, one steal and two blocks, but hardly made a difference when the chips were down.
The Scores:
RAIN OR SHINE 112 – Thompson 34, Nocum 25, Caracut 14, Clarito 11, Asistio 7, Belga 6, Datu 5, Tiongson 5, Santillan 4, Malonzo 1.
CONVERGE 103 – Stockton 26, Diallo 19, Baltazar 16, Arana 15, Winston 14, Racal 7, Heading 3, Andrade 3, Santos 0, Cabagnot 0, Caralipio 0, Delos Santos 0, Javillonar 0.
Quarterscores: 22-21, 50-45, 80-77, 112-103.