PBA: Rain or Shine cuts into TNT semifinals lead with Game 3 win

Rain or Shine import Deon Thompson against TNT reinforcement Rondae Hollis Jefferson in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup semifinals. –PBA IMAGES

Rain or Shine reduced TNT’s lead in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup semifinals after coming out with a 93-88 victory in Sunday’s Game 3 at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Import Deon Thompson, rookie Caelan Tiongson and Adrian Nocum delivered when needed as the Elasto Painters cooled off a Rondae Hollis-Jefferson-led Tropang Giga fightback in the fourth quarter to finally get on the board in the best-of-seven series.

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TNT still leads the semis, 2-1, but will have plenty of things to ponder after playing its first game minus Jayson Castro, who was ruled out for the season after a knee injury in Game 2.

The Tropang Giga also unraveled after Poy Erram and Glenn Khobuntin exchanged words during the second quarter when Erram lost his cool after being slapped with a technical foul.

Rain or Shine import Caelan Tiongson in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup semifinals. –PBA IMAGES

Erram and Khobuntin were quick to patch things up.

Thompson had 19 points, 15 rebounds and four assists, Tiongson posted 18 points, seven rebounds and four assists aside from his defense on Hollis-Jefferson while Nocum added 16 points, eight rebounds and four assists.

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Game 4 is set Wednesday at the same venue, with Rain or Shine looking to draw level after dropping the first two matches by a combined margin of six points.

Hollis-Jefferson finished with 34 points and 19 rebounds for TNT even as RR Pogoy made 21.

TNT overcame a 13-point deficit led by Hollis-Jefferson to take the lead in the final canto. But Thompson, Nocum and Gian Mamuyac accounted for important baskets that enabled Rain or Shine to regain control.

Mamuyac added nine for Rain or Shine, his second game since being sidelined by an injury.