RAIN or Shine and TNT go for a 2-0 lead in the PBA 50th Season Commissioner’s Cup semifinals as the scene shifts to the SM Mall of Asia Arena after the series opener saw 10,412 fans in attendance at the Ynares Center-Antipolo.
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RAIN OR SHINE VS. BARANGAY GINEBRA
When: Friday, May 22. 5:15 p.m.
Where: SM Mall of Asia Arena
Painters seek 2-0 lead
Rain or Shine gained the upperhand on Barangay Ginebra on Friday following its 115-111 win. The Elasto Painters had a strong finish, going on an 11-0 blast late in the game to steal the win.
Limit turnovers
Rain or Shine tallied 10 steals and forced 14 turnovers against Ginebra in Game 1. It didn’t exactly hurt Ginebra much since it only had a one-point differential in points off turnovers, 16-15, and Rain or Shine had 11 turnovers in the game. But that could change in Game 2 if the Gins continue to commit more turnovers.
Pinto, Gray, Malonzo give spark
Nards Pinto and Jeremiah Gray made solid contributions off the bench for Ginebra, and the team is hopeful that they can sustain it in Game 2. Pinto had 13 points on a perfect 3-of-3 shooting from three-point range, while Gray had eight points after averaging only 3.3 points prior to Game 1.
Rain or Shine also had Mike Malonzo that gave his team a lift by scoring 12 points, after averaging only 4.0 points in the eliminations.
Quiet night from downtown for Holt
Stephen Holt had a quiet night for Ginebra. Although he still wound up with seven points, five rebounds, and three assists, Holt only shot 1-of-3 from threes. it was only the third time this conference that Holt made just one three, and one of those games incidentally included the Rain or Shine game in the eliminations.
TNT VS. MERALCO
When: Friday, May 22. 7:30 p.m.
Where: SM Mall of Asia Arena
TNT goes for win No. 2
TNT seeks for its second win in the semifinals after beating Meralco, 94-89. The Tropang 5G led by as many as 11 points in the second quarter, but the Bolts found a way to close the gap and even take a 73-69 lead, until Bol Bol, Calvin Oftana, and the rest of TNT finished off Meralco.
Free throw shooting
If there is an area that needs improvement for TNT, it is their free throw shooting. Bol Bol shot a miserable 5-of-13 from the free throw line, and Calvin Oftana going 2-of-5. The entire team went 12-of-25 from the charity stripe, but the good thing was that it didn’t cost TNT.
COLUMN: Fully fit Jordan Heading proves his worth in Game One
Meralco also needs to improve its shooting
Meralco lost the game after shooting only 36-of-81 from the field (44 percent). Marvin Jones was only 9-of-24 from the field, including a 1-of-7 clip from threes, while the likes of Chris Banchero (2-of-8) and Jason Brickman (3-of-9) misfired most of the time for Meralco.
Bol Bol facilitating
Bol Bol had his usual numbers of 37 points, 11 rebounds, and six blocks. But his conference-high eight assists was perhaps what made his performance in Game 1 very impressive as he displayed unselfishness that led to the victory over Meralco. If that continues, TNT would most likely win again.
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