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| Deon Thompson was solid defensively for Rain Or Shine. PBA Images |
MANILA—Deon Thompson put up solid numbers in his PBA debut as Rain Or Shine handed Hong Kong Eastern its first loss in the PBA Commissioner's Cup with a 99-81 rout on Wednesday night at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
Missing out on the game against the Meralco Bolts as his clearance did not come on time, Thompson provided a solid all-around performance even as the Elasto Painters, more known as a mainly offensive team, turned to their defense to smother the Long Lions, holding them first to only 34 points in the first half.
Eastern got its offense going in the third quarter after dropping 30 on ROS, but the latter restored order in the fourth with another solid defense to pull away for good.
Despite struggling offensively as he only made 8-for-23 from the field and 4-for-7 from the foul line with four turnovers, Thompson finished with 21 points and three assists even as he made it up on the defensive end with 15 rebounds, two blocks, and three steals for the Elasto Painters, who moved up to 1-1.
Santi Santillan added 18 points, five rebounds, one assist, and one steal as all the players coach Yeng Guiao fielded scored in the game.
Cameron Clark put up 30 points, 12 rebounds, two assists, and one steal for the Long Lions, who fell to 2-1.
Glen Yang was not even in attendance as he had to fix some passport issues but is expected to return on Friday when they face the TNT Tropang Giga.
The Scores :
RAIN OR SHINE 99 – Thompson 21, Santillan 18, Datu 10, Tiongson 10, Nocum 8, Ildefonso 8, Caracut 7, Belga 5, Clarito 4, Lemetti 3, Asistio 3, Demnusis 2
EASTERN 81 – Claek 30, Cheung 11, Sulaiman 11, Cao 9, Blankley 7, Lam 6, Zhu 5, Guinchard 2, Chan 0, Leung 0, Pok 0, Xu 0
QUARTERS: 24-18, 43-34, 70-64, 99-81
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