Here are the live scores, updates, and results of the 2021 PBA Philippine Cup between the Blackwater Bossing and the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, scheduled on July 18, 2021, at 7:00 PM.
On PBA’s opening weekend, the Elasto Painters and the Bossing took opposing paths, with the former winning their first game and the latter suffering their first loss of the season. Rain or Shine will be looking for their second win and an early lead in the team standings, while Blackwater will try to bounce back.
Rain or Shine went through the proverbial eye of the needle on opening day against NLEX. The Elasto Painters barely escaped an equally determined NLEX Road Warriors last Friday.
To secure an 83-82 victory in Friday’s opener, the Elasto Painters limited NLEX to 34% field goal shooting and denied the Road Warriors a chance to steal the win at the endgame by fighting a likely Anthony Semerad game-winner.
Before the Elasto Painters turned on the defensive switch and forced Semerad to try for a difficult double pump in the Road Warriors’ final offensive play for the win, Rey Nambatac and Beau Belga made important baskets down the stretch.
“Defense is on our DNA. We are really glad that our guys were resolute enough to trust our system, trust one another, and come out with a big first win for this opening conference,” Chris Gavina grins with pride after leading the Elasto Painters to their first triumph.
The Elasto Painters led by as many as 72-62 early in the fourth period, thanks to Nambatac’s 19 points and eight rebounds, and Belga’s 17 points, seven rebounds, and five assists.
Rain or Shine is heavily favored against a Blackwater.
Speaking of ROS’ foe tonight, Blackwater dominated the first two-quarters of its match against Alaska before faltering in the second. It trailed by as much as 17 points on multiple occasions.
Before the Bossing could cut the score to 70-76, Mike Tolomia had to get hot, and Kelly Nabong had to string together five straight points to get them within 75-84. Then, in the final six minutes, Blackwater went cold, shooting 1-of-10 from the field and making two turnovers, leaving them helpless to watch the game slip away.
It was essentially the same situation in the first half, when Simon Enciso scored 19 points, including five triples, to help Blackwater tie Alaska at 39 points apiece at halftime. However, the guard acquired from TNT has held in check the rest of the way, despite scoring 23 points.
Tolomia’s 15 points and Ed Daquioag’s 12 points were the only two double-digit scorers for Blackwater, who will play Rain or Shine today.
The last time these two teams met, Rain or Shine dealt Blackwater its fifth straight loss and essentially eliminating them in last year’s PBA bubble.