MANILA — Rain or Shine Elasto Painters rode a blazing first-half assault and a breakout performance from Capiznon forward Christian Manaytay to pull away from Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings, 97-85, and knot their PBA Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup semifinal series at 2-2 on Wednesday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Manaytay delivered one of his finest performances in the conference, scoring 11 points on a perfect 4-of-4 shooting inside the arc to earn Player of the Game honors as the Elasto Painters regained momentum in the best-of-seven showdown.
Import Jaylen Johnson posted a double-double of 13 points and 12 rebounds to anchor Rain or Shine, while Gian Mamuyac chipped in 12 points. Jhonard Clarito and Adrian Nocum added 11 markers apiece in the balanced offensive attack.
Rain or Shine came out aggressive from the opening tip, racing to a 23-16 advantage in the first quarter before Ginebra trimmed the gap to 22-25. The Elasto Painters, however, responded with a dominant second-quarter run that ballooned their lead to as high as 26 points.
The Gin Kings attempted to claw back in the third period and came within 10 points, but Rain or Shine restored order in the fourth quarter behind timely baskets from Andrei Caracut and Johnson to seal the victory.
Justin Brownlee paced Ginebra with a double-double of 27 points and 10 rebounds, while Scottie Thompson and Japeth Aguilar contributed 20 and 10 points, respectively.
Meanwhile, Meralco Bolts also stayed alive in their own semifinal duel after grinding out a 101-90 victory over TNT Tropang 5G to even their series at 2-2.
The Bolts appeared headed for a comfortable finish after Chris Banchero gave them a 93-84 cushion, but TNT answered with six straight points from Chris McCullough and Roger Pogoy to close the gap to 90-93.
TNT’s comeback bid fizzled after costly turnovers down the stretch, allowing Meralco to break the game open behind a four-pointer from CJ Cansino and inside conversions by Javee Mocon and Clifford Hodge.
Cansino finished with 17 points, along with two rebounds, two steals, and one assist to earn Player of the Game honors for the Bolts./PN
