Painters seek lead share in clash with Fuel Masters
Rain or Shine shoots for a share of the PBA Philippine Cup lead, while two struggling squads—Titan Ultra and Blackwater—look to climb out of early slumps in a pivotal Wednesday triple-header at Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
The Elasto Painters hope to stretch their win streak to four and improve to an impressive 5-1 card as they face the Phoenix Super LPG Fuel Masters at 7:30 p.m. With TNT and Magnolia also sitting at 4-1, a win gives Rain or Shine a temporary solo hold of the top spot.
Despite their record, coach Yeng Guiao isn’t getting carried away.
“We cannot win close games every time,” he said, referring to back-to-back escapes—a 96-95 edging of Meralco and a thrilling 112-111 decision over Titan Ultra. “If we rely on breaks or we rely on getting lucky, there will be a day that luck won’t be on our side.”
Sides collide
Meanwhile, Titan and Blackwater collide earlier in the day, both carrying the weight of recent setbacks and desperately seeking momentum. The Giant Risers are mired in a four-game skid, their latest loss being the gut-wrenching one-point heartbreaker to Rain or Shine. Now at 1-4, Titan aims to stop the bleeding.
Blackwater, for its part, has dropped three straight after a 1-0 start and comes into the 4:30 p.m. clash with fresher legs, having had a full week to regroup following a 99-88 loss to NLEX.
