MANILA — Rain or Shine Elasto Painters unleashed a furious closing run to snatch a stunning 115-111 victory over Barangay Ginebra San Miguel and seize Game 1 of their PBA Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup semifinals series Wednesday night at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City.
Trailing 102-107 late in the fourth quarter, the Elasto Painters erupted with an 11-0 blast anchored on a four-pointer by Jaylen Johnson, clutch free throws from Adrian Nocum, a booming triple by Jhonard Clarito, and a basket from Gian Mamuyac to turn the game around at 113-107.
The Gin Kings threatened one last time after Scottie Thompson drilled a four-pointer to trim the gap to 111-113, but Clarito calmly sank two free throws to seal the victory and hand Rain or Shine a 1-0 edge in the best-of-seven showdown.
Johnson powered the Elasto Painters with a monster double-double of 40 points and 19 rebounds, while Clarito fired 25 markers to earn Player of the Game honors.
Mamuyac chipped in 18 points, while Nocum and Michael Malonzo added 16 and 12, respectively, for Rain or Shine, which led by as many as 15 points earlier in the contest.
Justin Brownlee paced Ginebra with 32 points, while RJ Abarrientos contributed 21 markers. Thompson and Nard Pinto finished with 17 and 13 points, respectively.
In the other semifinal pairing, TNT Tropang 5G leaned on its composure in the final minutes to edge Meralco Bolts, 94-89, and likewise move ahead 1-0 in their series.
Jordan Heading delivered a strong spark off the bench with 16 points and was named Player of the Game for TNT.
Bol Manute Bol dominated with a double-double of 37 points and 11 rebounds on top of eight assists and six blocks, while Roger Pogoy and Calvin Oftana added 21 and 14 points, respectively, for the reigning champions.
Marvin Jones finished with 22 points and 14 rebounds for Meralco, while Kier John Quinto added 17. CJ Cansino and Chris Newsome chipped in 12 and 11 markers, respectively./PN
