Two teams who are on a roll will meet head-on this Wednesday at the Philsports Arena down in Pasig. Which between the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters and the Magnolia Chicken Timplados will keep their win streak alive?

Catch this game live on Wednesday,  February 22 at 5:45 pm, Manila time.

Rain or Shine Elasto Painters (2-4)

Projected Starting Five:

• PG: Rey Nambatac
• SG: Andrei Caracut
• SF: Gabe Norwood
• PF: Greg Smith II
• C: Leonard Santillan

Rain or Shine finally has a winning streak going. After losing their first four assignments in the conference, the Elasto Painters have picked up back-to-back wins, as they defeated the Blackwater Bossing, 122-117, on Feb. 12, and then beat the Terrafirma Dyip on Feb. 12, 120-118. What’s more impressive is that Rain or Shine took care of business versus Terrafirma despite import Greg Smith II not playing a single second. Smith missed the Terrafirma game due to issues with his FIBA clearance, so his status for Wednesday’s game can be considered still up in the air. 

In any case, the Elasto Painters have momentum, thanks in large part to the performance of Andrei Caracut who took full advantage of the Dyip’s defense that has the capacity to make opposing players look like future Hall of Famers. Caracut dropped 25 points on Terrafirma, while Leonard Santillan and Gabe Norwood chipped in 21 and 19 points, respectively. Rain or Shine is averaging just 105.8 points per game this conference but has put up 116.6 in its last three outings.

Magnolia Chicken Timplados (3-3)

Projected Starting Five:

• PG: Paul Lee
• SG: Mark Barroca
• SF: Calvin Abueva
• PF: Jackson Corpuz
• C: Antonio Hester

The Chicken Timplados will also arrive to this Wednesday’s game on an undefeated streak. They have won all their three most recent outings, including their 119-103 victory over the NLEX Road Warriors on Feb. 16. Antonio Hester proved to be a mismatch problem for the Road Warriors, as he ended up torching NLEX for 37 points on 15/19 shooting with 15 rebounds, five assists, and a block. As a team, Magnolia shot 55 percent from the field overall and hit 14 of its 29 attempts from deep (60 3FG%). 

So far this conference, the Hotshots are averaging 106.2 points per game — not enough for them to be among the top-six highest-scoring teams in the PBA this conference, but they’re a much more efficient offensive team than their next opponent in Rain or Shine. The Hotshots keep a 54.8 eFG% and a 57.6 TS% — both top-five in the league. The Elasto Painters, on the other hand, are 11th and 12th in those offensive categories, respectively.

PREDICTION:

Spread: Magnolia (-8.5) covers.

Over/Under: The total (212.0) hits the Under.