Reggie Johnson powers through. PBA IMAGES
Rain or Shine kept its place atop the standings after scraping past Magnolia, 99-96, in overtime in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup Saturday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Elasto Painters jumped to a 6-1 record to move half-a-game ahead of Alaska and TNT while the Hotshots saw their three-game winning streak snapped and fell to 3-2.
Paul Lee was the first to hit in overtime drilling a three-pointer for Magnolia’s 91-88 lead but that quickly became an afterthought as the Elasto Painters jumped to a 7-0 run to take the 95-91 margin.
Chris Tiu eventually iced the game from the free throw line converting all four of his chances to seal the victory.
Heading into overtime with a blown seven-point lead, 86-79, Rain or Shine head coach Caloy Garcia said they were in a good position to finish things off despite foregoing the chance in regulation.
“I just told them that we’re okay, we were up before overtime but Magnolia always makes a comeback and forced overtime,” said Garcia.
“Overtime is better than losing, and basically I told them that defense will win us the game and we were able to make stops at the end.”
Curtis Kelly was able to intercept Tiu’s pass to Reggie Johnson with 37 seconds left but Magnolia’s import didn’t fare better on the offensive end as Maverick Ahanmisi was able to strip the ball away and give the possession to the Elasto Painters.
Rain or Shine’s ensuing possession eventually led to Tiu hitting the two free throws that put the Elasto Painters up 97-94 with 16.8 seconds left.
Johson had 23 points, 18 boards, and two blocks for Rain or Shine while Raymond Almazan added 19 points and nine rebounds.
Gabe Norwood finished with a 12-point, 10-rebound double-double to help the Elasto Painters while Tiu chipped in 10 points and four assists.
Kelly, who debuted for the Hotshots, had 19 points and 15 rebounds while Dela Rosa also finished with 19 points on a perfect 6-of-6 shooting from the field.
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