Rain or Shine Elasto Painters’ Gian Mamuyac and Jhonard Clarito during a PBA Philippine Cup semifinals game against TNT Tropang 5G. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines—Rain or Shine made the most out of TNT’s manpower woes on Friday night to pull out a 113-97 victory and get to live another day in their PBA Philippine Cup semifinal series at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
LIVE: 2025 PBA Philippine Cup Semifinals – Game 5 – July 4
“They didn’t have a lot of firepower,” Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao said after winning what looked like an old-fashioned shootout that cut the TNT lead in their best-of-seven series to 3-2. “Maybe they’re just buying time. We expect them (the recovering stars) to play in the next game.”
Game 6 is also slated at the Big Dome where Kelly Williams and RR Pogoy could both return to action and have all hands on deck for the Tropang 5G, who are hunting for a title series slot and the shot to bag the third and last jewel of what will just be the league’s sixth Grand Slam.
Rain or Shine Elasto Painters’ Gian Mamuyac during a PBA Philippine Cup semifinals game against TNT Tropang 5G. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
TNT, though, didn’t look like a championship contender in the second half of Game 5, as the Elasto Painters clinically broke away with a 37-point third quarter.
The Tropang Giga were limited to just 12 in the penultimate period.
“The third quarter was also huge for us,” Guiao said after his Elasto Painters carved out the win that could serve as a big psychological boost for the all-important sixth game.
Incidentally, TNT had bundled out Rain or Shine in the semifinals of both the Governors’ Cup and Commissioner’s Cup, doing it with 4-1 scores. The Game 5 win certainly gives Painters fans something new to hope for moving forward.
Gian Mamuyac led the Painters with 22 points, three assists and three steals.
“With our system, anyone can have a good night,” said Mamuyac. “On any given night, you don’t know who will shine.
“I just so happened that tonight, it was me.”
The lack of TNT’s bench depth was felt in the second half.
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Calvin Oftana and Simon Enciso fired 23 and 20 points, respectively, for the Tropang 5G, who will take the second of three shots they have at closing out the Elasto Painters.
