THE RAIN OR SHINE Elasto Painters padded their winning streak to five with a 94-90 win over the Kia Carnival last night in the 40th PBA Governors’ Cup at the Araneta Coliseum.
The Elasto Painters stayed in the hunt for a twice-to-beat edge in the quarterfinal round with their sixth win in 10 games, tying the GlobalPort Batang Pier for the fourth and fifth spots.
“The win gave us a chance to make the top four. We expected a hard game. We have a problem with their big man but our experience gave us an edge though,” said Rain or Shine head coach Yeng Guiao.
The top four teams after the eliminations will have a twice-to-beat edge in the quarterfinals.
The streaking San Miguel Beermen have already taken one of the top four slots after collecting eight wins in 10 games.
Wendell McKines topped the Elasto Painters with 24 points but it was the endgame brilliance of Paul Lee that put away the hard-fighting Carnival.
Lee finished with 20 points and scored Rain or Shine’s last six points, all coming from the free throw line. Overall, Lee finished 10-for-10 from the charity stripe.
Towering Hamady N’Diaye flirted with a triple double, tallying 31 points, 21 rebounds and eight blocks, but Kia absorbed its second straight defeat, hurting its chances of finishing in the top four.
The Carnival dropped to 4-5 (win-loss), good for a two-way tie with the defending champions Star Hotshots for the seventh and eighth spots.
Karl Dehesa added 19 points for the Carnival, who actually led after the first quarter, 12-15.