Paul Lee showed Rain or Shine what they’re missing
Highlighted by the subplot of a tilt between two former franchise players in new uniforms, it was Paul Lee’s Star Hotshots that came up winners in the first game of Sunday’s heavyweight doubleheader, 99-91, against the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, Sunday evening at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.
PJ Simon led Star in scoring with 16 points, while Jio Jalalon and Paul Lee added 14 apiece.
“Credit to the players. They gave their best effort. And they… nag-commit sila sa depensa namin,” Star head coach Chito Victolero said.
Rain or Shine threatened to pull away in the third frame after the two teams slugged it out in the first half, in which Star had led by only a point. Initiated by Raymond Almazan’s breakaway jam, the Elasto Painters built their biggest lead of the game at the 4:53 mark of the third, with a 15-5 blast making it a 65-55 affair.
Fortunately for the Hotshots, the 15 triples they punched in throughout the entire game quickly helped erase the deficit in a short span. As the game found itself in a see-saw tilt, Almazan scored six straight points, including two standing jams, to restore an 87-84 cushion with 5:33 to play.
Needing a spark down the stretch, Paul Lee took charge in the final minutes with a jumper to tie things up at 88. As the defense focused on Lee, the “Angas ng Tondo” found Aldrech Ramos for two clutch three-pointers to cap a 15-4 rampage and close out the match.
“Si Aldrech medyo masama yung first three quarters niya but he delivered in the fourth, so with Paul and si [Marc] Pingris also,” Victolero added.
“Masaya kasi andyan yung pressure,” shared Lee after defeating his former team.. “Nakatutok sila sa iyo and I’m very happy na nag-perform kaming lahat. Happy din si Coach Chito kasi andun yung mental toughess hanggang dulo.”
This is the first time Paul Lee has played against the team that had drafted him back in 2011, and he finished with 14 points on 5-of-11 shooting, three rebounds and four assists. On the flip side, former Purefoods/Star franchise player James Yap struggled from the floor, scoring nine points on 3-of-10 shooting, while missing all of his attempts from downtown.
“Nagtitiwala kami sa bawat isa yun yung importante dito. Ayun, Aldrech hit two big shots [and] yun yung sinasabi ko sakanila magtiwala lang malayo maabot,” Lee added.
Raymond Almazan was a powerful force, with an efficient double-double of 19 points and 13 rebounds on only 9-of-12 shooting. His rebounding total led his team’s 55 boards, which was ten more than Star’s 45.
The Elasto Painters also scored more from second-chance plays, 16-10, but failed to defend the Hotshots’ sniping from the perimeter, where they allowed Star an excellent 53 percent from beyond-the-arc.
Star (3-2) look to extend their win streak on a highly-anticipated joust against the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel (2-2) in another edition of Manila Clasico on Christmas Day at the Philippine Arena. On the other hand, Rain or Shine (3-2) will next face the NLEX Road Warriors (1-4) on Friday, December 23, at the PhilSports Arena.
The Scores:
Star (99) – Simon 16, Jalalon 14, Lee 14, Ramos 12, Maliksi 11, Pingris 11, Melton 6, Sangalang 6, Dela Rosa 5, Barroca 4, Reavis 0.
Rain or Shine (91) – Almazan 19, Washington 14, Tolomia 11, Norwood 10, Yap 9, Ponferada 8, Ahanmisi 7, Belga 6, Cruz 5, Chan 2.
Quarterscores: 23-23, 42-41, 74-75, 99-91.
