RAIN or Shine was without another key player when it rallied past Magnolia and retained the top spot in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup.
Starting guard Andre Caracut sat out the 91-82 win on Saturday night at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium owing to a bruise on his right knee suffered during practice.
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Caracut showed to SPIN.ph the bruised knee wrapped in a kinesiology tape.
“May pasa lang. Natuhod ako ni Beau (Belga),” the 30-year-old De La Salle product said.
Caracut was in uniform and was actually ready to play against the Hotshots, but the Rain or Shine coaching staff decided to just rest him for the game.
His absence had the Elasto Painters without their two major point guards as Felix Lemetti missed his second straight game with a knee contusion.
“Ready naman to play, pero mukhang ayaw i-risk nila coach (Yeng Guiao). Kaya yun ang desisyon nila,” said Caracut.
The second-round pick of Rain or Shine in the Season 46 draft, Caracut is averaging 6.6 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 1.7 assists in the conference.
But unlike Lemetti whose return remains uncertain, Caracut said he won't be out for a long time.
“Meron pa ring pain, pero kung ipapasok ako, ready naman. Ok naman ako,” he added.
The highly-emotional win over Magnolia moved Rain or Shine (8-1) closer to clinching a twice-to-beat advantage in the playoffs as it stayed on top of the standings.
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