On Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, Barangay Ginebra San Miguel bounced back from its loss to the Meralco Bolts with a masterful 114-90 beatdown of erstwhile league leader Rain or Shine Elasto Painters. The win improves Ginebra’s PBA Commissioner’s Cup slate to 8-3 and puts the crowd favorites closer to sealing a win-once edge in the quarterfinals. The loss is Rain or Shine’s second in a row and third in the last four games, dropping them to 8-3 as well.
What Happened?
Ginebra went to Justin Brownlee early and often in the opening frame, and JB responded by scoring 14 quick points and nudging the barangay to a 21-20 lead after one. Rain or Shine started finding a groove in the second, but two triples from Ralph Cu kept Ginebra in the lead—up until RJ Abarrientos fired 8 points to push the advantage to 51-42 going into halftime.
The crowd darlings then broke the game open in the third, shooting down the Elasto Painters with one triple after another. In all, Ginebra hit nine 3-pointers right after halftime, and that helped Brownlee and company extend the lead further to 86-70 heading into the fourth. A 12-3 run by Ginebra to open the final frame took the fight out of Rain or Shine and allowed Tim Cone’s wards to cruise to victory.
Who Stood Out?
Brownlee bounced back from a lackluster outing against Meralco to score 40 big points on top of 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, and 2 blocks. He also had plenty of help, starting with Abarrientos, who fired 23 points and added 6 rebounds and 11 assists. Scottie Thompson shone as well, finishing with 17 points and a game-high 16 boards. Finally, Cu sparked Ginebra off the bench with his 15 points on 5-for-7 shooting from deep.
Rain or Shine, in contrast, found a spark in Anton Asistio, whose 10 first-half points helped the Elasto Painters stay within striking distance of the Gin Kings. Gian Mamuyac, meanwhile, proved steady with 14 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists. However, the two guards were no match for Ginebra’s sensational team effort.
3 Keys to the Game
- Three-point shooting. Ginebra’s 3-point shooting was simply locked in against Rain or Shine. In total, the barangay hit a franchise-best 21 treys (on 44 attempts), including nine in the third quarter alone. Brownlee accounted for six of those triples, while Cu and Thompson drained five each.
- Import mismatch. Rain or Shine’s Jaylen Johnson started out strong, scoring 7 in the first quarter. He also looked poised to dominate a Ginebra frontline still missing the services of 6-foot-9 big Japeth Aguilar. However, JJ scored just 9 points the rest of the way and was grossly outplayed by Brownlee.
- Defense. Save for some lapses that left Asistio open a couple of times in the first half, the Gin Kings’ defense was actually on point on Sunday. This swarming defense contained the Elasto Painters’ prolific offense and forced them to shoot just 36.9% overall.
Next Up for the PBA
Tuesday, May 5, 2026 | Ninoy Aquino Stadium
NLEX Road Warriors vs. Titan Ultra Giant Risers (5:15 p.m.)
TNT Tropang 5G vs. Magnolia Hotshots (7:30 p.m.)
