The PBA Commissioner’s Cup semifinals shift into a pivotal and pressure-packed Game 3 on Sunday, with both best-of-seven series locked at 1-1 and all four teams facing different tests at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
Barangay Ginebra and Rain or Shine resume their high-speed battle at 7:30 pm, with the Gin Kings trying to match the Elasto Painters’ relentless pace while keeping enough fuel for another bruising finish.
Rain or Shine drew first blood in the series with a 115-111 escape in Game 1, before Ginebra answered with a 109-101 victory in Game 2 behind a strong start and a steady closing kick.
For Ginebra coach Tim Cone, the challenge remains clear: surviving Rain or Shine’s running game.
“It was really Rain or Shine’s style,” Cone said, noting how the Elasto Painters pushed the tempo, wore the Gin Kings down and gave themselves a chance late in the fourth quarter.
“They come at you in waves,” he added.
Cone leaned heavily on his core in Game 2, with Justin Brownlee, RJ Abarrientos, Scottie Thompson, Japeth Aguilar, Stephen Holt and Troy Rosario logging major minutes. Jeremiah Gray, Nards Pinto and Ralph Cu provided relief in a demanding nine-man rotation.
Brownlee, still dealing with hamstring issues, powered through with a near triple-double of 31 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists. He exploded for 13 points in the opening quarter as Ginebra turned an early 5-12 deficit into a commanding surge that eventually pushed the lead to 24.
When Rain or Shine threatened late, Brownlee found Rosario underneath for a 105-99 cushion with 33 seconds left.
Abarrientos also stood tall despite being bloodied by an elbow from Jhonard Clarito in the fourth period, finishing with 25 points, including four crucial free throws in the final 11 seconds. Thompson added 15 points, six rebounds and six assists despite a lump he sustained in Game 1, while Aguilar delivered a 14-point, 12-rebound double-double performance.
Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao, meanwhile, has continued to stretch his rotation. The Elasto Painters went 11-deep in Game 2 despite missing Caelan Tiongson, Luis Villegas, Felix Lemetti and Keith Datu. Tiongson is expected to return for Game 3, giving Rain or Shine another body in what has quickly become a punishing track meet.
In the other semifinal pairing, TNT and Meralco also enter Game 3 on uneasy ground after splitting the first two games.
Meralco is coming off an 87-76 win that wiped out TNT’s 94-89 victory in the series opener, but the Tropang 5G now face uncertainty after import Bol Manute Bol suffered a suspected left Achilles tendon tear late in the first quarter of Game 2.
TNT moved to tap newly naturalized Filipino Malick Diouf as a temporary reinforcement, but his availability for Game 3 remains uncertain due to required documents, including a special working permit from the Bureau of Immigration and a Games and Amusements Board license.
TNT had also considered former NBA player Marquese Chriss or Darius Days as replacement options, but neither was expected to arrive in time for Sunday’s game.
Tropang 5G coach Chot Reyes admitted that inserting a replacement import on short notice would be difficult, citing travel fatigue, unfamiliarity with TNT’s system and the adjustment to the PBA style of play.
For Meralco, coach Luigi Trillo said the Bolts can only control their own preparation while waiting to see who TNT will field.
Chris Newsome, who played a major role in Meralco’s Game 2 win, said the Bolts’ focus remains on execution regardless of TNT’s import situation.
“We’re still going to have a gameplan for the locals, for whoever comes in next, and then it’s really up to us to execute it properly,” Newsome said.
With both semifinal matchups now tied, Sunday’s doubleheader could shape the rhythm of the series: one defined by Ginebra trying to survive Rain or Shine’s exhausting pace, and the other by TNT trying to steady itself amid a sudden import crisis.