Unbeaten Rain or Shine has its eyes on a share of first place when it shoots for a third straight victory in the resumption of the 2019 Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup.
Still without a defeat in two outings, the Elasto Painters (2-0) can gain a share of the tournament lead when they collide with winless Blackwater (0-2) at 7 p.m. today at the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City.
The Tropang Texters (2-2) are also looking to continue their ascend when they fight off Meralco (1-2) at 4:30 p.m. in the initial offering.
Following impressive victories in its first two assignments, a rejuvenated Rain or Shine side is thirsty for more.
“We got ourselves a good start. We’re getting contributions from a lot of players and we’re hoping we can keep going with this kind of play,” said Rain or Shine coach Caloy Garcia.
The Elasto Painters caught a big fish in their last game, squeaking past Barangay Ginebra, 83-80, in Pangasinan last Saturday.
On the contrary, their foe, the Elite, is yet to find any luck as it is still left without a win at this point.
Another streaking team in TNT KaTropa hopes it can sustain its fiery form as it likewise aims for a third straight victory after a cold start.
Superstar Jayson Castro is starting to get his rhythm as he seems to be back to his old dominant self.
The do-it-all spitfire averaged 16.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 6.5 assists in the KaTropa’s previous two wins on his way to being named the Player of the Week.
He will once again be counted on by TNT when it faces off with the Bolts, who are still struggling to find consistency in their play thus far.
Castro actually had a rough night versus NLEX last January 23, hitting just 1-of-9 from the floor and turning the ball over five times in over 35 minutes of action.
But the 32-year-old Castro showed why he’s the two-time Best Point Guard in Asia during the critical stage of the final quarter, feeding Roger Pogoy for a three-pointer, before following that up with two pressure-packed free throws to seal TNT’s first victory for the season.
The many-time Gilas Pilipinas combo guard went on to finish with a stats line of nine points, three rebounds, two assists and a steal.
Four days later, the four-time PBA Best Player of the Conference returned with a vengeance, registering all-around numbers of 24 points, 11 assists, five rebounds and four steals as the surging KaTropa knocked down the Beermen, 104-93 in a king-sized upset.
The six-time PBA champion took over in the final quarter, dropping eight points and three key assists that turned a shaky six-point lead into a 104-89 bubble late in the game.
Aside from pulling to an even 2-2 record in the standings, Castro’s leadership enabled TNT to end a long, nine-game losing streak to San Miguel dating back to Game 5 of the 2017 PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals.
Castro beat teammate Troy Rosario and Ryan Reyes, Rain or Shine’s Gabe Norwood and Mark Borboran, along with Phoenix forward Calvin Abueva, Jason Perkins and Matthew Wright for the weekly citation.