Here are the live scores, updates, and results of the 2021 PBA Philippine Cup between the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters and the NLEX Road Warriors, scheduled on July 16, 2021, at 3:00 PM.
The Elasto Painters and the Road Warriors will battle it out for a 1-0 record to start the season. Rain or Shine’s Cebuano rookie Leonard Santillan will be making his debut against NLEX’s own highly-touted rookie Calvin Oftana.
The last time these two teams met, the Road Warriors crushed the Elasto Painters for back-to-back wins, as Kevin Alas and Jericho Cruz exploded in that match’s second half, finishing with 18 and 17 points respectively.
Meanwhile, Kiefer Ravena, whose stint for Japan B.League’s Shiga Lakestars was halted by his three-year Uniform Player’s Contract (UPC) with NLEX, will undoubtedly maneuver afresh the Road Warriors offense by his great skills.
The retooling Elasto Painters, on the other hand, are determined to penetrate this season’s finals after having their title hopes cut short by the top-seeded Gin Kings in the first round of last season’s playoffs.
The All-Filipino Cup will proceed to the quarterfinals in its customary format, with the top eight teams advancing. Against the eighth and seventh seeds, the top two seeds will have a twice-to-beat advantage. Meanwhile, in a best-of-three series, No. 3 will face No. 6, and No. 4 will face No. 5. Best-of-seven matches will be played in the semifinals and finals.