Familiar foes Rain or Shine Elasto Painters and Barangay Ginebra San Miguel clashed at the Khalifa City Sports Stadium in Bahrain chasing two different things. For Ginebra, it was outright entry to the PBA Philippine Cup quarterfinals, while it was the No. 1 seed overall for Rain or Shine. And, with a minute left in regulation, it looked like the Elasto Painters had done it. But Ginebra flashed that familiar never-say-die spirit and rallied for a 102-100 victory in front of a raucous, mostly pro-Ginebra crowd.
What Happened?
Ginebra struck first, authoring a 23-18 first quarter behind some hot shooting from Jeremiah Gray and great defense. But Rain or Shine played true to form in the next two quarters, outscoring Ginebra, 59-42, to take a 77-65 cushion to the fourth quarter. Rain or Shine was still ahead, 94-87, and looked headed for its ninth win in eleven games when the crowd darlings dug deep. With a playoff spot on the line, Ginebra uncorked a 15-6 windup on an RJ Abarrientos steal and and-1, and a Scottie Thompson go-ahead three with 7.6 seconds remaining. Adrian Nocum’s game-winning stab then fell short, giving Ginebra the win.
Who Stood Out?
RJ Abarrientos stood tall for Ginebra, delivering 25 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals—none bigger than the one he had when his team was trailing, 98-95, with less than a minute left. Scottie Thompson also played big, finishing with 16 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals, along with that go-ahead triple.
Rain or Shine, as usual, drew solid games from different Elasto Painters. The most solid, though, was Jhonard Clarito, who put up 13 markers and 10 boards off the bench. Nocum, despite his missed game-winner, played well, too, finishing with 13 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals.
3 Keys to the Game
- Never-say-die spirit. Ginebra looked headed for defeat entering the fourth as Rain or Shine had gotten into quite a rhythm. The crowd darlings appeared dead in the water as they trailed by seven with under three minutes left. But that never-say-die spirit kicked in, and Ginebra made the big plays to get back into the game and ultimately steal it away from the Elasto Painters.
- Second chance scoring. Ginebra didn’t necessarily have a sizable advantage in offensive rebounding, grabbing 16 to Rain or Shine’s 14. But the Gin Kings made the most of theirs, scoring 16 second chance points to the Elasto Painters’ 8. The last of those points, incidentally, was Thompson’s trey at the end.
- RJ Abarrientos. Last season’s Rookie of the Year played an inspired game overall, but he was at his best in the fourth quarter, where he fired 12 of his 25. He also accounted for 6 of Ginebra’s last 15 points—a trey to make it 95-93 and that off-a-steal and-1 to tie the game at 98.
Next Up for the PBA
The PBA Philippine Cup will hold its penultimate play date on Friday, also at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium. The TNT Tropang 5G and Blackwater Bossing face off in the first game, while the Meralco Bolts and San Miguel clash in the nightcap.
TNT vs. Blackwater (5:15 p.m.)
Meralco vs. San Miguel (7:30 p.m.)
