The Rain or Shine Elasto Painters will have to go through Meralco first before going to their fifth straight semifinals in the PBA.
The Rain or Shine Elasto Painters bank on their trademark grit and depth as they look to waste no time in dispatching Meralco Bolts in the PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup quarterfinals on Saturday, Dec. 27.
The match kicks off at 5:15 p.m. at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
As the second seed, Rain or Shine carries a twice-to-beat advantage and needs just one win to book a fifth straight semifinals appearance.
The Elasto Painters come in battle-tested, having beaten Converge and Magnolia late in the eliminations before absorbing a narrow loss to Ginebra in Bahrain to close out the round.
Rain or Shine also holds the psychological edge after surviving Meralco in their elimination-round meeting, where the Elasto Painters erased a 16-point deficit, forced overtime, and escaped with a 96–95 win.
Adding another wrinkle is the activation of Luis Villegas, who is looking to make an impact after being sidelined by knee injuries for most of the past three seasons.
With momentum, depth, and incentive on their side, the Elasto Painters aim to strike early and avoid giving Meralco a second life.
(With reports from Jan Ballesteros)
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[Editor’s note: This article was written by a member of One Sports Digital with the help of AI and reviewed by editorial staff for accuracy.]