Rain or Shine suddenly finds itself in unfamiliar territory in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup semifinals — chasing momentum instead of controlling it.
After opening the series with an impressive Game 1 statement against Barangay Ginebra, the Elasto Painters have now dropped back-to-back games and enter Wednesday’s crucial Game 4 searching for answers before the series completely slips away.
What once looked like a wide-open matchup has quickly tilted in favor of the Gin Kings, who now carry a 2-1 lead and the confidence of a team beginning to impose its identity on both ends of the floor.
For Rain or Shine, the challenge now goes beyond simply scoring enough points. The bigger concern is rediscovering the balance that fueled its upset win to start the series.
Ginebra’s defense has steadily tightened over the last two games, with Scottie Thompson and Stephen Holt leading the disruption. Thompson exploded for 25 points in Game 3, but his defensive activity proved just as damaging, collecting three steals while constantly pressuring Rain or Shine’s decision-makers. Holt added three steals of his own as the Gin Kings forced 20 Elasto Painter turnovers overall.
Much of that pressure fell directly on Rain or Shine’s main creators.
Adrian Nocum committed seven turnovers, while import Jaylen Johnson had four giveaways despite producing another monster stat line of 23 points, 21 rebounds, and eight assists. Johnson continues to fill up the box score, but one major part of his game has disappeared at the worst possible time — his outside shooting.
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TATABLA o PUPURO na?#PBA50CommsCupSEMIS best-of-7 Game 4 WEDNESDAY, May 27 schedule at Smart Araneta Coliseum brought to us by @PocariSweatPH
5:15 PM
RAIN OR SHINE Elasto Painters vs. BARANGAY GINEBRA San Miguel
— PBA (@pbaconnect) May 27, 2026
After torching teams from deep earlier in the conference, Johnson struggled again from long range in Game 3, hitting just one of seven attempts from beyond the arc. Without that perimeter threat fully clicking, Ginebra has become far more comfortable crowding the paint and limiting driving lanes.
Rain or Shine did find one encouraging sign in defeat, however.
The Elasto Painters finally broke through from three-point territory as a team, knocking down 17 triples in their best outside shooting performance of the series. Caelan Tiongson immediately provided a lift upon returning from illness, draining seven triples, while Andrei Caracut caught fire early and buried five straight threes to help Rain or Shine stay within striking distance.
But perhaps the biggest missing piece was Jhonard Clarito.
After emerging as one of Rain or Shine’s most reliable offensive sparks in the first two games, Clarito was held to just five points on 2-of-6 shooting in Game 3. He still impacted the game defensively with nine rebounds and five steals, yet the Elasto Painters clearly missed his scoring punch.
Now, with Ginebra only two wins away from another Finals appearance, Rain or Shine heads into Game 4 needing more than just another competitive effort.
The Elasto Painters need a response strong enough to stop the series from turning into a runaway.
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