The Rain or Shine Elasto Painters rallied from several double-digit deficits and came away with a 98-97 victory over the Magnolia Hotshots on Friday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena. Rain or Shine has now won three straight after opening the PBA Governors’ Cup with back-to-back losses. Magnolia, on the other hand, dropped to 1-3.
What Happened?
Magnolia rolled to a 23-11 start in the first nine minutes of the game behind nine points from KJ Buffen and seven more from Zavier Lucero en route to a 29-20 lead after one. Rain or Shine tied things up four minutes into the second quarter with a 13-4 run behind Luis Villegas’ seven points and Adrian Nocum’s five. That early blitz set up a tight second period that saw two ties and four lead changes, with the final one favoring the Elasto Painters, who headed into intermission up 56-54.
That tight trend continued into the third canto, where the Hotshots scored 27 and Rain or Shine fired 25 as the two teams entered the fourth tied at 81.
The final frame turned into a defensive battle but remained just as tight, with the last two minutes seeing three lead changes—Rain or Shine grabbing a 95-94 lead on a Nocum drive, Magnolia retaking the lead at 97-96 on an Ian Sangalang three-point play, and the Elasto Painters getting the final lead change and the win on another Nocum drive.
Who Stood Out?
Nocum is the obvious answer here, and not just because he nailed the game winner. On top of that, he put up a career-best 31 points on 11-for-16 shooting to go along with his 9 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals. Villegas starred as well, contributing 12 points, 7 rebounds, 3 steals, and several deflections and defensive plays. Off the bench, Deo Cuajao added 15 markers, with 9 coming in the third alone.
Buffen, meanwhile, starred for Magnolia, tying Nocum for game-high honors with 31 points himself. He also had 17 caroms, 5 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks. Lucero added his own double-double of 15 points and 10 boards, while Sangalang finished with 14 off the Hotshots’ bench.
3 Keys to the Game
- Nocum takeover. Nocum has been playing well this conference, but he produced arguably the best game of his Rain or Shine career on Friday. He attacked Magnolia relentlessly, kept making the right reads and the right plays, and came up big in crunch time. The Hotshots simply had no answer for him.
- Turnovers. Both teams turned the ball over quite a lot in this game, but Magnolia had more, 21-17, than Rain or Shine. This resulted in a 28-22 advantage for the Elasto Painters in points off turnovers, and it mattered in a one-point game.
- Bench play. Rain or Shine’s starting unit had a slow start, but its bench, led by Nocum and Villegas, steadied the ship and contributed all game long. The box score says the Elasto Painters’ bench outscored their Hotshots counterparts, 53-36; what it doesn’t show is the impact they had.
Next Up for the PBA
Saturday, August 1, 2026 | SM Mall of Asia Arena
NLEX Road Warriors vs. Converge FiberXers (5:15 p.m.)
San Miguel Beermen vs. TNT Tropang 5G (7:30 p.m.)
