PBA: Rain or Shine ousts Blackwater, books quarterfinals berth

Rain or Shine weathered a third-quarter storm and upended Blackwater, 104-94, to stay atop the standings of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup Friday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The Elasto Painters streaked to their fourth straight win to get to a 7-1 record and book a quarterfinals berth while eliminating the Elite, who dropped to 1-8, from the playoff race.

Blackwater held an 80-72 lead at the start of the fourth quarter but saw that margin dissipate in a matter of minutes as Chris Tiu knocked down three straight three-pointers to give the Elasto Painters a 93-86 lead.

Tiu’s shooting exploits were part of Rain or Shine’s 23-6 run in the fourth, where the Elasto Painters outscored the Elite 32-14.

“The nice thing today was we played good defense in the fourth quarter and Chris started hitting his shots,” said Rain or Shine head coach Caloy Garcia. “Chris has been working hard, basically he’s become a very good leader for the team.”

Raymond Almazan put up a career-high 26 points, 21 in the first half, with 12 rebounds, and two blocks to lead the way for the Elasto Painters.

Reggie Johnson finished filled the stat sheets for Rain or Shine with 17 points, 20 rebounds, and seven assists while Tiu also had 17 points, 13 of which came in the fourth.

The Elite relied on its locals to do the heavy lifting after import Henry Walker got injured in the second quarter.

Allein Maliksi had 23 points to lead the Elite but he failed to score a single one in the fourth despite putting up 15 in the opening 12 minutes.