RAIN or Shine finally burst Magnolia's bubble on Sunday night in the PBA Philippine Cup.
The Elasto Painters pulled off a runaway 119-105 victory to deal the Hotshots their first loss of the conference after winning their first six outings.
Magnolia remained on top of the standings (6-1) despite the 14-point loss.
Rain or Shine improved to 4-2 following a balanced scoring led by the 20 points of Adrian Nocum and a hot shooting from deep that saw the team convert 15-of-31 (48 percent).
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The other game saw San Miguel score a one-sided 128-89 win over uninspired Terrafirma.
It was the second straight win for the Beermen, who are in third place with a 5-2 slate, while the Dyip continue to plunge down the standings after absorbing a seventh straight loss for a 1-7 card.
Here are the four takeaways from the league’s second playdate at the Ynares Center II in Montalban, Rizal.
1. RAIN OR SHINE FAST BECOMING MAGNOLIA’S CONTRA PELO – the Elasto Painters did it again, putting a stain on Magnolia’s previously unblemished record. Not too long ago, Rain or Shine also did the same against the Hotshots during the 2023-24 Commissioner’s Cup, as per PBA chief statistician Fidel Mangonon III. Magnolia was then on a franchise-best 7-0 start behind import Tyler Bey, but fell to Rain or Shine in its next outing in a provincial sortie, 113-110. And lest everybody had forgotten, it was the Elasto Painters who booted out the Hotshots out in their 2023-24 Governors’ Cup quarterfinals that went the full distance. Rain or Shine definitely has Magnolia's number at the moment.
2. HOTSHOTS DIDN’T PLAY TEAM BASKETBALL – the previously undefeated team obviously didn’t play as a unit as reflected in the paltry total of 11 assists it recorded as compared to the 29 of the Elasto Painters. The Hotshots also failed to defend Rain or Shine’s transition plays that netted coach Yeng Guiao and his boys 25 fastbreak points compared to the six of Magnolia.
3. TERRAFIRMA JUST GOING THROUGH THE MOTIONS – it’s understandable the Dyip have been playing lackluster this conference ever since news of the franchise being sold came out. That the team lost by a huge 39-point margin against San Miguel wasn’t surprising as Terrafirma lost its last six games by an average of 30 points.
4. MORE PBA GAMES IN STORE FOR MONTALBAN – in only its second time hosting a PBA playdate at the newly-constructed playing venue in Rizal, the Ynares Center II already drew its biggest crowd of 8,175, a sign that people are eager to watch the games live. That’s just a playdate that features San Miguel, Magnolia, and Rain or Shine. Just imagine a Barangay Ginebra game being played in the arena for the very first time.
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