By Jeckloy Acosta
MANILA- The San Miguel Beermen gunned a fifth straight victory in the PBA Commissioner's Cup against the defending champion Rain or Shine, 111-98 in Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay, this Saturday evening.
The Beermen fought the well-rested RoS team in a dominating way since the second period.
The game was close until SMB's lead continued to surge after Arwind Santos made a layup on the 6:43 mark of the second period to extend their lead to six.
They later made a 11-point run and stretched the lead to 13 at the halftime break, outscoring the Painters in the second quarter by ten points.
Since then, the Elasto Painters wasn't able to catch up. They trailed the game until the buzzer sounded.
Beermen import Charles Rhodes only played 23 minutes due to foul-trouble but he still produced 26 points in 9-15 shooting.
On the other side, Taggart and Yap took the load for Rain or Shine. Each player ended up in double figures, Taggart bricked eleven of his eighteen attempts in a 24-point outing and Yap poured 13 points.
With the win, the Beermen stayed on the top of the 2017 PBA Commissioner's Cup standing at 5-0 as their record also remain untouched.
The Elasto Painters dropped to the seventh slate with four wins and three losses.
Both teams will have a long break after this game. SMB will be back on the court at May 5 against another powerhouse Talk 'N Text at 7 p.m.
Meanwhile, Rain or Shine will look to avoid a two-game skid against the Star Hotshots on May 6 at 5:15 p.m.
Meanwhile, Rain or Shine will look to avoid a two-game skid against the Star Hotshots on May 6 at 5:15 p.m.
Follow him on Twitter: @notjelo