ROS strikes back against GSM to tie PBA semifinals series

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

The Rain or Shine Elasto Painters dominated the Ginebra San Miguel Gin Kings, 97-85, in Game 4 of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup semifinals on May 27, 2026, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

After crumbling in Game 3, when they let their early double-digit lead slip away, Rain or Shine bounced back with authority as they handled business against Ginebra to level the semifinals series at 2-all.

From having their backs against the wall, the Elasto Painters just put the pressure back on the Gin Kings, as the thrilling semifinal showdown shifted into a best-of-three tug-of-war.

Rain or Shine banked on a demoralizing second-quarter rampage to pull away early with a 26-point advantage before halftime, limiting the Gin Kings to just 13 points, their lowest-scoring frame in the entire semifinals.

In the first two minutes of the second period, Ginebra was still within striking distance after a Justin Brownlee layup trimmed its deficit to seven points, but a massive scoring avalanche by Christian Manaytay, Adrian Nocum, Mike Malonzo, and Gian Mamuyac put Rain or Shine ahead by 14 points, 43-29.

The bleeding didn’t stop for the Gin Kings as a new set of Rain or Shine players torched them from the field, starting with Caelan Tiongson’s foul-counted perimeter jumper.

Rain or Shine then built a 22-point cushion courtesy of back-to-back 3-pointers from Mamuyac and Anton Asistio, forcing Ginebra head coach Tim Cone to burn another emergency timeout out of frustration.

The Gin Kings displayed their never-say-die mantra in the third quarter after pulling to within 12 points, but a decisive Rain or Shine run, fueled by Andrei Caracut, steered the Elasto Painters to a 16-point lead with only six minutes remaining in the final frame.

Justin Brownlee tried to put Ginebra on his back after calling for several isolation plays on the left elbow, but Rain or Shine head coach Yeng Guiao didn’t settle and instructed his wards to blitz the accomplished import to avoid any collapse.

Despite playing in foul trouble, Rain or Shine import Jaylen Johnson still led his squad with a double-double performance of 13 points and 12 rebounds.

Leading the local crew was team captain Mamuyac, who chipped in 12 points, while Manaytay, Nocum, and Jhonard Clarito each had 11 markers.

On the other hand, Ginebra received another solid scoring performance from Brownlee, who had 27 big points, but RJ Abarrientos, who fired 17 in Game 3, felt the pressure of Rain or Shine’s perimeter defense and contributed only eight points.