NLEX dealt Rain or Shine and its former coach Yeng Guiao a 96-90 defeat on Friday in a fiery start to its camapign in the 2022 PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City.
Earl Clark and Kevin Alas sparked a key turnaround early in the fourth quarter as NLEX spoiled the return of Guiao to the Rain or Shine camp after a five-year stint on the Road Warriors bench.

Clark tallied 26 points, 14 rebounds, four steals, and six blocks. Five of those points came in an 8-0 run that enabled NLEX to grab an 83-73 lead.
The win came following a whirlwind past few weeks for NLEX, which saw the Road Warriors appoint Adonis Tierra to take over from Guiao on an interim basis then finally bring back Frankie Lim just last Thursday.
“Napakahirap dahil maraming pagbabago,” said Tierra. “Mahirap para sa akin at para sa players. Pero medyo nagulat ako sa nilaro nila ngayon. Everybody stepped up. Everybody played well especially on defense.”
A follow-up dunk by Clark pushed NLEX’s lead to 91-77, the biggest lead of the contest, with three minutes left.
Justin Chua added 18 points, Alas chipped in 15 points and seven rebounds, and Don Trollano and Matt Nieto contributed 12 apiece.
Nieto also pulled off two key stops that dampened Rain or Shine’s comeback.
Steve Taylor Jr. debuted with 21 points and 12 rebounds while Rey Nambatac had 11 points for the Elasto Painters.
The scores:
NLEX 96 – Clark 26, Chua 18, Alas 15, Trollano 12, Nieto 12, Varilla 4, Ganuelas-Rosser 4, Miranda 3, Rosales 0, Fonacier 0, Ighalo 0.
Rain or Shine 90 – Taylor Jr. 21, Nambatac 11, Nieto 10, Caracut 9, Ponferada 8, Asistio 7, Demusis 6, Belga 5, Ildefonso 4, Santillan 4, Borboran 3, Norwood 2, Guinto 0, Mamuyac 0, Torres 0.
Quarters: 15-24; 36-42; 67-66; 96-90.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph