RAIN or Shine put together a strong finishing kick fueled by outside shooting to beat Barangay Ginebra, 115-111, on Wednesday in Game 1 of their PBA 50th Season Commissioner's Cup semifinal series at the packed Ynares Center.
Jaylen Johnson came away with 40 points including a four-point shot that started a late 9-0 run that enabled the Elasto Painters to take the series opener in come-from-behind fashion in front of 10,412 fans at the Antipolo venue.
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Game Two of the best-of-seven semifinal is set on Friday, 5:15 p.m. at the Mall of Asia Arena.
The Gin Kings held a 107-102 lead with 2:20 left after a three by RJ Abarrientos, but the Elasto Painters made sure to have the final say.
Johnson drained a four from the right wing and Rain or Shine forced a turnover on Justin Brownlee, who fouled Adrian Nocum that led to two penalty free throws that gave Rain or Shine back the upper hand.
Jhonard Clarito then made the biggest shot of the night - a three from right infront of the Rain or Shine bench - for a 111-107 advantage with 1:19 left.
Clarito also gave Rain or Shine some breathing space in the final seconds, knocking down two free throws with 16.1 seconds left to settle the final score after Scottie Thompson made a four to slice the gap to two points.
He finished with 25 points built around three treys for Rain or Shine, which played without Caelan Tiongson due to a bad stomach and lost Luis Villegas in the second half due to a suspected hamstring injury.
Gian Mamuyac had 18 points and connected on a driving lay-up with 38.1 seconds left to close that critical Rain or Shine stretch in a game that also saw the Elasto Painters trail, 52-42, at one point of the match.
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“It's really encouraging to win Game 1 against a tough team like Ginebra. Nakaka-boost yun pero ang haba ng series, it's a seven-game series,” said Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao.
Brownlee had 32 points, five rebounds, five assists, two steals, and two blocks, and Abarrientos had 21 points behind his five three-pointers, and Thompson added 17 and seven rebounds for the Gin Kings.
The scores:
Rain or Shine 115 – Johnson 40, Clarito 25, Mamuyac 18, Nocum 16, Malonzo 12, Caracut 2, Manaytay 2, Asistio 0, Villegas 0, Santillan 0.
Barangay Ginebra 111 – Brownlee 32, Abarrientos 21, Thompson 17, Pinto 13, Gray 8, Rosario 7, Holt 7, J. Aguilar 4, Cu 2, Torres 0.
Quarters: 26-17; 42-49; 74-77; 115-111.
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