The search for their first win in the 2023 PBA on Tour continues for the TNT Tropang Giga who will look to end the drought this Wednesday against the re-energized Rain or Shine Elasto Painters.
Catch this game live on Wednesday, July 12at 7:30 pm, Manila time.
Rain or Shine Elasto Painters (5-1)
Projected Starting Five:
- PG: Andrei Caracut
- SG: Shaun Ildefonso
- SF: Nick Demusis
- PF: Mark Anthony Borboran
- C: Leonard Santillan
If it weren’t for the existence of the Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots, Rain or Shine would be the No. 1 team right now in the league. The Elasto Painters got back to their winning ways with a demolition of the Converge FiberXers on June 30. That came days after Rain or Shine tasted its first defeat in the PBA on Tour at the hands of the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel.
Rain or Shine is the highest-scoring team in the PBA on Tour thus far, averaging 114.17 points per game. It’s head and shoulders above everyone else in the league, with the second-most prolific offensive team putting up just 105.75 PPG. That spells trouble for the offensively bereft TNT unit which is last in the entire PBA with a measly average of 82.17 points per outing.
TNT Tropang Giga (0-6)
Projected Starting Five:
- PG: JD Tungcab
- SG: Paul Varilla
- SF: Carl Bryan Cruz
- PF: Glenn Khobuntin
- C: Dave Marcelo
The Tropang Giga remain winless in the PBA on Tour. In its most recent outing, TNT got mercilessly embarrassed by the San Miguel Beermen last Sunday, 94-65. It’s uncharacteristic for the TNT franchise to suffer one humiliating loss after another, but they’re also playing without their big hitters. TNT’s leading scorer in the PBA on Tour is Glenn Khobuntin, who won’t be mistaken for a prime Vergel Meneses. He didn’t play in the loss to the Beermen, but he could see action against Rain or Shine. Khobuntin is even pacing the entire league with 24.4 points per game.
After the 37-point loss to San Miguel, there’s no way but up for the Tropang Giga, who can be expected to put up a better effort this Wednesday. JD Tungcab went off for 30 points in the San Miguel game and could still be feeling it when he meets Rain or Shine, which has allowed each of its last two opponents to score at least 108 points.
PREDICTION:
Spread: Rain or Shine (-21) covers the spread.
Over/Under: The total (204.0) hits the Over.
