The PBA Commissioner’s Cup penultimate play date, played at the PhilSports Arena delivered some exciting action, with a title darkhorse barely avoiding the upset axe and two contenders needing extra time. Here is a recap of Sunday’s games:
Rain or Shine Survives Terrafirma Upset Scare
The Terrafirma Dyip was thisclose to pulling off an upset to end the year. But the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters got their bearings back just in time to beat Terrafirma, 124-112, and avert the upset axe.
Terrafirma played arguably its best game of the conference, racing out to a 37-28 lead after one behind the hot hands of Stanley Pringle and Brent Paraiso. But the Elasto Painters steadily chipped away at the lead, eventually overtaking the Dyip, 66-62 going to intermission. Rain or Shine finally shook off the pesky Terrafirma side midway through the fourth quarter en route to their fourth win in five games.
Deon Thompson led the Elasto Painters (4-1) with 23 points and 17 rebounds, while Adrian Nocum added 21—including a backbreaking triple that gave Rain or Shine a 120-110 lead with a little over a minute left. Brandon Edwards’s 26 points and 10 rebounds paced the Dyip (0-7), who dropped to a seventh straight loss. Louie Sangalang chipped in 21 points and 8 boards.
Up next:
Terrafirma vs. Phoenix on January 7 (PhilSports Arena)
Rain or Shine vs. Blackwater Bossing on January 8 (PhilSports Arena)
The Scores:
- Rain or Shine (124) – Thompson 23, Nocum 21, Caracut 15, Santillan 11, Aistio 10, Malonzo 8, Clarito 7, Datu 7, Lemetti 6, Tiongson 6, Escandor 5, Norwood 2, Ildefonso 2, Belga 1
- Terrafirma (112) – Edwards 26, Sangalang 21, Paraiso 16, Manuel 12, Hernandez 9, Melecio 7, Catapusan 7, Nonoy 7, Pringle 3, Olivario 2, Ramos 2
Eastern Outlasts San Miguel in OT Thriller
Hong Kong Eastern is proving to be the real deal. A week after beating Barangay Ginebra San Miguel, the league’s guest team handled another contender, outlasting the San Miguel Beermen, 99-91, in overtime.
Eastern once again started hot, building as much as a 38-26 advantage in the first half. They were still ahead, 69-64, going into the final period, but the Beermen fought back, eventually catching Eastern at 87-apiece. San Miguel even had a shot to win it outright, but Chris Ross’s attempt was way off.
The Beermen scored the first bucket of overtime courtesy of June Mar Fajardo, who had 23 points, 18 rebounds, and 5 assists. But Eastern scored nine unanswered—including a huge triple from Glen Yang—to put away San Miguel for good. Yang finished with 26 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists for Eastern, while import Chris McLaughlin chipped in 18 points and 11 rebounds. Hayden Blankley and Kobey Lam had 15 and 13, respectively. San Miguel’s new import debuted with 28 points and 10 rebounds.
Up next:
Eastern vs. Meralco Bolts on January 5 (Smart Araneta Coliseum)
San Miguel vs. Barangay Ginebra on January 5 (Smart Araneta Coliseum)
The Scores:
- Eastern (99) – Yang 26, McLaughlin 18, Blankley 15, Lam 13, Chan 10, Pok 6, Cao 5, Guinchard 3, Zhu 2, Cheung 1
- San Miguel (91) – Narcis 28, Fajardo 23, Perez 18, Lassiter 13, Rosales 3, Trollano 2, Tautuaa 2, Cruz 2
PBA Commissioner’s Cup Continues
The PBA Commissioner’s Cup will have one last playdate for 2024 on Christmas Day, December 25. The double-header will see the Converge FiberXers taking on the Meralco Bolts in the curtain-raiser, followed by Ginebra facing off with the Magnolia Hotshots in the nightcap.
