Back-to-back losses fire up Painters in taking down Batang Pier

MANILA, Philippines -- The tough two-game losing streak of Rain or Shine in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup actually gave the Elasto Painters a much-needed wake-up call, head coach Yeng Guiao said, as the quarterfinal race heats up.

Rain or Shine arrested their two-game skid with a statement 127-107 win over the NorthPort Batang Pier on Thursday.

The Batang Pier were leading the league prior to the game and were brought to their own two-game slide following the loss.

After the game, Guiao told reporters that their close losses against the Phoenix Fuel Masters and the Converge FiberXers woke the team up.

“As long as we’re competing, we should be okay. Yung last two games namin, medyo half-hearted yung pag-compete namin. Hindi kami sing-diin, hindi kami sing-determinado,” he said.

“Siguro nakakabuti nga yung may losing streak. It’s a way to… wake-up call. It's a way to reset your mindset. Nakabuti rin sa amin,” he added.

Before losing two consecutive, the Elasto Painters won five straight. All of their victories – save from a 102-100 triumph over the Magnolia Hotshots – were double-digit wins.

Rain or Shine, on Thursday, started hot and never wavered. One of the league’s best offensive teams, the Elasto Painters saw seven players finish in double figures, led by Deon Thompson with 27 points.

Santi Santillan and Adrian Nocum each had 16 points, while Andrei Caracut and Anton Asistio produced 13 and 12 markers, respectively. Keith Datu and Beau Belga also had 11 and 10 points for Rain or Shine, who sank 12 of their 37 3-pointers.

In their previous two losses, they failed to surpass the 100-point mark.

And now, they are at 6-3 in the import-laden conference, one win away from their target of seven wins.

But standing in their way is Barangay Ginebra, which is also holding a similar slate.

“Of course, malaking tulong ito [win over NorthPort]. To arrest a losing skid is really a morale booster. And we need a lot of that, especially going into our game against Ginebra,” he said.

“Maganda sa amin, may six-day break kami. So we'll take a little break, recover, prepare. We have enough time to prepare for the Ginebra game. And try to see how far this takes us,” he added.

The two squads will face off in an important matchup next Wednesday in a playoff preview clash.

“Sabi ko nga, naka-anim na panalo kami, pito hinahabol namin para siguradong nasa quarters ka at makaiwas ka sa 7 and 8. So yung Ginebra game namin yun yung pampitong panalo namin. Pero susubukan namin.”