Rain or Shine finally gets one in a highly physical battle

The Rain or Shine Elasto Painters finally snatched a win in Game 3 of their PBA Season 49 Philippine Cup semi-finals series against the TNT Tropang 5G, 107-86, on Sunday, June 29, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Anton Asistio scored a personal playoff-high 24 points to lead Rain or Shine in their first win of the best-of-seven affair. He also added six assists and a rebound to his stat line, shooting 7-of-9 from the field, including 4-of-5 from three-point range and 2-of-3 from the four-point arc, in just 28 minutes and 11 seconds off the bench.

Caelan Tiongson followed with 16 markers, four boards, one assist, and a rejection, while Keith Datu tallied a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds, along with two assists and one block.

Two more Elasto Painters scored in double figures—Leonard Santillan finished with 12 markers on top of eight boards, one assist, and one deflection, while Andrei Caracut added 10 points, four assists, and four steals.

On the other hand, TNT leaned on Calvin Oftana, who finished with 16 points and eight rebounds but also had a -22 in the +/- department while struggling from deep (1-of-6), where he usually gets most of his points. He tried to carry the load in the absence of sharpshooter RR Pogoy, who is nursing an injury—adding to the team's woes as previous Finals MVPs Jayson Castro and Rey Nambatac were also out.

Simon Enciso and Glenn Khobuntin chipped in with 12 markers apiece.

The game was highly physical and emotional, with a pair of Flagrant Foul 1s called against the Tropang 5G, and one technical foul each assessed to both head coaches.

The first F1 was called at the 3:53 mark of the third quarter when Gian Mamuyac was hit in the head by Glenn Khobuntin after a foul. Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser followed with another F1 at the 8:24 mark of the final period after pushing Adrian Nocum hard to the floor.

During the first F1 incident, Rain or Shine head coach Yeng Guiao was also assessed a technical foul for shouting profanities directed at Khobuntin.

Earlier in the game, TNT head coach Chot Reyes was whistled for a technical foul after scolding Kim Aurin and kicking the LED board in frustration.

“Hindi siya sumunod sa instruction,” Reyes explained.

“Sa amin, you can make mistakes on effort or execution, but if you do not follow instructions, that’s insubordination. He was supposed to foul, hindi niya sinunod, upo siya. Ganun lang naman ’yun,” added the six-time Coach of the Year.

In between those sequences, Matt Nieto was also slapped with a technical foul with under two minutes remaining in the third quarter.

When asked about the physicality of the game, Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao acknowledged it as part of the sport—as long as there’s no malicious intent.

“Accidents happen. We can accept that. We play physical minsan, meron kaming ganun, pero without any malice naman,” said Guiao.

“I felt there’s room for physical and rugged play, but ’yung puwedeng maka-injure or maka-damage sa career ng player—’yun ang hindi puwede. Or kung hindi man, ang laking bagay ’yung mawala siya sa iyo ng dalawa o tatlong laro. Baka mamaya tapos na ’yung series nun,” the fiery mentor added.

Despite the rough play, the Elasto Painters remained composed, racing to an early 33–15 lead at the end of the first quarter and dominating the third with a 33–20 output, which helped offset their 18–22 dip in the second and 23–29 deficit in the fourth.

Game 4 is set for Wednesday, July 2, at the Mall of Asia Arena. Rain or Shine will aim to even the series, while TNT will look to grab a commanding 3–1 lead.