MANILA — The Rain or Shine Elasto Painters used their running game to the hilt to leave the Barako Bull Energy gasping in defeat, 103-91, Friday night in the PBA Commissioner's Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. Returning import Wayne Chism exploded for 32 points, 20 of them in the first half, to lead the Painters to their third straight victory and fifth overall against two losses. Chism was deadly from long range, drilling seven three-pointers, on top of seven rebounds. Rain or Shine thus joined Meralco and idle Talk N Text for a three-way share of the lead in the standings. Top Rain or Shine local gunner Paul Lee returned from a one-game injury absence to add 16 points, six rebounds, six assists and two steals. Burly JR Quinahan chipped in with 12 points and six boards while Jeff Chan scored 11 markers. Chism was at his deadliest in the first half as the Painters broke away from a close game with a 19-4 blitzkrieg to erect a 49-31 lead. The Energy managed to cut the lead to 69-77 early in the fourth period, but Chan and Tyrone Tang led a 16-6 counter-strike that finished off the Barako Bull. The Barako Bull thus slid into a four-way tie for fourth to seventh place in the standings in the company of Purefoods, Barangay Ginebra and GlobalPort, all with a 4-3 win-loss card. Seven-foot Nigerian import Solomon Alabi once again led the Energy with a double-double of 23 points and 13 rebounds. JC Intal was the top local scorer for Barako Bull with 19 markers. He also collected seven rebounds, and four assists. Chico Lanete and Dave Marcelo chipped in with 14 and 11 points, respectively, for the Energy. NLEX 89, Meralco 76 Former NBA gunner Al Thornton played yet another monster game, dumping 36 points and grabbing 16 rebounds to lead the NLEX Road Warriors to a resounding 89-76 victory over the slumping Meralco Bolts. KG Cañaleta ably backed up Thorton, scoring 13 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter. Canaleta scored 11 of NLEX's last 17 points, including back-to-back three pointers that spelled doom for the Bolts. The Road Warriors thus continued their climb from the bottom as they improved to a 3-4 mark, tying idle KIA at eighth to ninth place in the standings, while handling the Bolts a second consecutive defeat. Game Saturday: KIA Carnival vs. Blackwater Elite.
