Duke Crews brought in contagious energy in his PBA comeback and the Rain or Shine locals delivered the stuffs they had to make in the crunch as they came out of the rut with a come-from-behind 118-112 win over Barangay Ginebra in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the Cuneta Astrodome Friday night.
Crews and his teammates overcame a 16-point deficit and Justin Brownlee’s 38-point game as the Elasto Painters checked a two-game slide and picked up a fifth win in nine games at the expense of the Ginebra side which had been unbeaten in its last five outings.
The returning ROS import was a tremendous force that produced 28 points and 22 rebounds, and he found all the help he needed in the homestretch as they pulled the rug from under the Gin Kings who dropped down to fifth place with a 5-2 slate.
The Kings, however, remained in strong contention for a Top Two finish in the elims which rewards a twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals.
Rain or Shine formalizes entry into the playoffs with a win in its last two games against GlobalPort and TNT KaTropa.
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It was a dull night for the E-Painters until they hit a good rhythm in the fourth quarter, wiping out a 16-point deficit and zooming ahead at 109-101 entering the last three minutes of the game.
Rain or Shine was down by 10, 83-93, at the start of the payoff quarter.
The Kings tried to make their own turnaround, regaining the lead at 111-109 on nine straight points by Brownlee.
Alas, Brownlee ran out of firepower and even gave away a crucial possession that Cruz translated into a breakaway layup to make it 114-111 for ROS.
Ginebra eventually yielded the game on a missed three-point attempt by Brownlee in their next possession.
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Cruz finished with 19 points that went with five rebounds, three steals and two assists.
Washington had 16 markers including four three-point bombs plus three pressure-packed free throws in the closing seconds.
James Yap and Jewel Ponferada also provided firepower early on and they ended up with a combined output of 26 points.
