The Rain or Shine Elasto Painters will look to get back in the win column after an embarrassing loss. Meanwhile, the TNT Tropang Giga are set to see action again after days of inactivity. Which team will come away with the W?
Catch this game live on July 30 at 3 pm, Manila time.
The TNT Tropang Giga (1-0)
Projected Starting Five:
- PG: Jayson Castro
- SG: RR Pogoy
- SF: Kelly Williams
- PF: Troy Rosario
- C: John Paul Erram
One thing you can say about the Tropang Giga is that they are well-rested. They’re the only team that has played fewer than two games so far this season after dealing with some COVID-19-related issues that forced the PBA to postpone TNT’s past two games.
The Tropang Giga last saw action on July 17, wherein they scored an 86-79 win over the Terrafirma Dyip. That was a win too close for comfort though as many expected the Tropang Giga to crush the Dyip by a bigger margin, so they will be aiming for a better effort in their comeback game against the Elasto Painters.
Jayson Castro led all TNT scorers against Terrafirma with 17 points off the bench, while Troy Rosario provided a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds.
The Tropang Giga shot 50% inside the arc in the Terrafirma game but was terrible from deep, shooting 3 of 28 on their 3-point shots. It can’t be that bad again for this talent-laden TNT squad for the second game in a row, though. TNT is 5-1 in its last six games against the Elasto Painters, dating back to 2018.
The Rain or Shine Elasto Painters (3-1)
Projected Starting Five:
- PG: Rey Nambatac
- SG: Jayvee Mocon
- SF: Gabe Norwood
- PF: Beau Belga
- C: Norbert Torres
Rain or Shine was the talk of the town last Wednesday — but for the wrong reasons. That was when the Elasto Painters — after starting the conference with back-to-back wins — suffered their first loss, falling prey to the Alaska Aces, 74-48.
Rain or Shine’s scoring output certainly didn’t sit well with the team, so the Elasto Painters will look to be more accurate on offense this Friday. The shots simply did not fall for the Elasto Painters who went 18 of 86 from the field against Alaska, but at least their pesky defense was still there.
Rain or Shine held the Aces to only 38 FG% while also forcing Alaska to commit 25 turnovers. The Elasto Painters are currently No. 1 in the 2021 PBA Philippine Cup with 8.25 steals per game. They are also No. 1 in defensive rating with just 86.3 points allowed per 100 opponents’ possessions, making Rain or Shine a big threat to a possibly rusty TNT unit.
Rain or Shine won its last meeting with the Tropang Giga back in the Clark Bubble in 2020, with Jayvee Mocon and Beau Belga combining for 28 points to lead the Elasto Painters to an 80-74 win.
PREDICTION:
Rain or Shine rebounds from a tough loss and slows down TNT’s offense to score a close victory in a low-scoring game.
