OUT TO END YEAR ON A WINNING NOTE
Rain or Shine goes for something that has been elusive for the team – a third straight win – as it tangles with San Mig Super Coffee in the PLDT myDSL PBA Philippine Cup at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City Sunday.
The Elasto Painters have taken a shot at it twice, and twice they failed – first versus the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings and second against the GlobalPort Batang Pier.
The E-Painters try for the third time against the Mixers in their 5:15 p.m. tussle which is the last game of the tourney in the year about to end.
Needless to say, both teams ache to end the year on a winning note.
Rain or Shine, at 6-3, is out to close in further on leaders Ginebra (9-1), Petron Blaze (8-2) and Talk n Text (6-3) while San Mig Super Coffee hopes to get back on track and tie Alaska at sixth place with a 4-6 slate.
Both are playing a second game in three days. Rain or Shine tamed Barako Bull, 99-95, while San Mig Coffee bowed to Alaska, 75-88, Friday.
Jeff Chan frolicked with seven three-pointers and a total of 34 points, and Rain or Shine bucked the absence of chief frontline player Beau Belga in thwarting Barako Bull for a second straight win following a 99-95 overtime thriller over Petron Blaze.
In his hottest shooting night since his Gilas Pilipinas stint, Chan went 7-of-10 from beyond the arc and 11-of-19 overall – the biggest one putting the Elasto Painters back in the lead at 97-95 with 8.2 ticks left to play.
The Mixers, meanwhile, lacked the intensity and energy on the sidelining of Marc Pingris (with a swollen knee) and thus missed a third straight victory following back-to-back triumphs over Barako Bull and GlobalPort.
“This is a key game for us as we try to gain some momentum through the holidays and into the next year,” said San Mig Coffee coach Tim Cone.
The Mixers, virtually out of the running for the Top Two and the twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals, face a tough grind in the closing stage of the elimination round, up against Rain or Shine, Ginebra, Air21, Petron and Talk n Text.
Curiously, four of them are the current top four in the team standings. (SB)
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