LEE LIFTS ROS TO SOLO 2ND
Paul Lee came through with a career-high 26 points, including 11 of their last 13 as Rain or Shine overcame a wobbly finish, topping San Mig Coffee, 86-83, in the PLDT myDSL PBA Philippine Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum Friday.
Lee banged away two bailout three-pointers and grabbed a big defensive rebound to highlight his endgame heroics that salvaged the Elasto Painters’ fourth win in five starts.
“We played sloppy towards the end. We made bad decisions. We’re lucky to get away with the win,” said Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao after they squeezed through to gain solo second place in the team standings behind unbeaten frontrunner Petron Blaze (4-0).
Talk n Text and Barangay Ginebra San Miguel were relegated to third at 3-1 while San Mig Super Coffee slid deeper in the lower half of the chart at 1-4.
“Their win-loss record doesn’t reflect how strong that team really is. Pretty soon when they all get healthy, they’ll get back in the upper half of the standings. We didn’t want them to start their run against us,” said Guiao.
Joe Devance plunged back into action but not San Mig Coffee main man James Yap though he came out in uniform.
Thanks to Lee’s exploits, the E-Painters nailed a second straight win despite the team’s poor 16-of-30 charities.
“We missed too many free throws. I felt had we made couples, it wouldn’t have been close in the end,” said Guiao.
Lee scattered 12 points in the opening quarter and got going again just when the Mixers were threatening to surge ahead.
The 2012 Rookie of the Year awardee drained back-to-back buzzer-beating treys before scoring on a drive off Mark Barroca as the E-Painters restored control, 83-76, with 1:39 left.
And when the Mixers threatened once again in the closing seconds, Lee snared a crucial defensive rebound and canned in a charity for the final count.
The Mixers eventually yielded the game as Devance missed a desperation three-pointer at the buzzer.
Lee came out firing and Rain or Shine took the opening quarter at 25-15.
PJ Simon took over the game in the next period, pouncing on the E-Painters’ seven missed free throws as the Mixers rallied to within four, 34-38, at the turn.
Lee himself tapered off in the second period, muffing one attempt and committing two passing errors.
The E-Painters, however, took control in the first 24 minutes of play with a 39.5-percent field-goal percentage as against the Mixers’ 27-percent clip.
The Mixers finally tasted the lead at 59-57 on an undergoal shot by Rafi Reavis with 1:25 left in the third.
Rain or Shine, however, scored the next seven points of the game and the E-Painters hung on to the lead to the finish. (SB)
The scores:
Rain or Shine 86 – Lee 26, Chan 11, Arana 7, Tang 6, Teng 6, Norwood 6, Cruz 5, Rodriguez 5, Quinahan 4, Belga 2, Almazan 2, Tiu 2, Nuyles 2, Ibanes 2.
San Mig Super Coffee 83 – Barroca 23, Simon 18, Pingris 12, Devance 11, Sangalang 8, Reavis 7, Mallari 4, Acuna 0, Gaco 0, Cawaling 0.
Quarters: 25-15, 38-34, 62-59, 86-83
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