Painters clobber Elite for No. 1 spot
Rain or Shine ElastoPainters' James Yap | PBA Media Bureau
MANILA, Philippines — Rain or Shine wrested the top spot of the Philippine Cup standings after a 105-93 rout of Blackwater in the first game of Friday night’s PBA action at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
James Yap led all Painters in scoring for the first time with 15 markers. Raymond Almazan added 14 while Jewel Ponferrada chimed in 13.
“The difference this game is we moved the ball better,” Elasto Painters’ head coach Caloy Garcia said. “I think we just have to work on our turnovers.”
The Painters, who acquired the former Most Valuable Player Yap in a blockbuster trade with Star in the off-season, drew a brilliant scoring from its cagers. Eight players from Rain or Shine scored eight or more to outscore the Elite for three periods.
Raymond Aguilar paced the Elite with 15 markers, while rookie Mac Belo added 13.
Blackwater, which opened the season with two straight victories, have suffered back-to-back defeats.
TNT KaTropa will look to join the Painters atop the standings when they take on sister team Meralco Bolts in the second game.
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