Nambatac delivers as Rain or Shine rallies to beat Blackwater in PBA playoffs opener

MANILA, Philippines–Rey Nambatac drilled a long triple to cap Rain or Shine’s furious rally late, towing the ElastoPainters past hard-fighting Blackwater, 83-80, for a 1-0 lead in their PBA Commissioner’s Cup in the best-of-three quarterfinals series Saturday at Mall of Asia Arena.

With the Elasto Painters trailing 80-72, Import Carl Montgomey kicked off a blistering run with 1:24 left to play before Nambatac and skipper Gabe Norwood took turns in dealing damage in the game-clinching 11-0 run.

“It’s a tough win. That’s a very competitive win and we’re fortunate to find a way to win (against them),” Montgomery said of the Elite in a televised interview.

“I thought we had already lost. We were down.” added coach Caloy Garcia. “But I think our import played his heart out and wanted to prove something. He gave us what we wanted.”

That’s the ball game! Rain or Shine takes the 83-80 Game 1 win over Blackwater. The Painters need one more win to advance to the semifinals. #PBA2019 pic.twitter.com/vTwS1Oe616

— Bong Lozada (@BongLozada92) July 20, 2019

Blackwater drew 20 points from Ray Parks Jr.—nine of which all coming from a sweet-shooting performance in the fourth quarter that gave the young Elite an edge.

Mac Belo had 17 points while returning import Greg Smith 16, but their combined efforts fell short against Rain or Shine’s torrid shooting down the stretch.

“Fate was on our side,” Garcia said. “Fate gave us the win.”

The two teams tangle anew this coming Tuesday at Smart Araneta Coliseum in Cubao.

The scores

Rain or Shine 83 – Daquioag 19, Montgomery 17, Nambatac 13, Belga 11, Norwood 10, Rosales 5, Mocon 5, Ponferada 2, Onwubere 1, Borboran 0, Torres 0.

Blackwater 80 – Parks 20, Belo 17, Smith 16, Maliksi 12, Sumang 5, Al-Hussaini 3, Cortez 3, Alolino 2, Sena 2, Digregorio 0.

Quarterscores: 22-21, 50-39, 59-61, 83-80.

POST-GAME INTERVIEW

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