Deon Marshall Thompson delivered a conference-high 34 points, 12 rebounds, and seven assists to power Rain or Shine past Converge, 112-103, securing a spot in the 49th Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Commissioner’s Cup semifinals.
Adrian Nocum added 25 points—his fourth career-best performance—as the Elasto Painters clinched their second straight win over the FiberXers in their best-of-three quarterfinal series at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City.
Despite Alec Stockton’s career-high 26 points for Converge, Rain or Shine took control in the final quarter to set up a best-of-seven semifinal showdown with TNT Tropang Giga.
“We’re happy. We’ve been working toward this. For the past two conferences, we made it to the semifinals, so it would have been disappointing if we didn’t make it this time,” said Rain or Shine head coach Yeng Guiao.
Leading by as much as 12 points, the Elasto Painters pulled away from a slim 80-77 advantage at the end of the third quarter. Thompson took over in the final frame, scoring 12 of his 34 points, while Rain or Shine erupted for 18 points in the first six minutes.
Veteran big man Beau Belga set the tone with a pair of three-pointers, sparking an 11-4 run that gave Rain or Shine its biggest lead at 94-82 with 8:42 remaining.
The victory marked a strong comeback for the Elasto Painters, who bounced back from a 130-118 loss in Game 1. Now making their third straight semifinal appearance, Rain or Shine hopes to use its experience to push TNT in the grueling race-to-four series.