Antoine Wright played his best game yet in a Rain or Shine uniform, finishing with a near triple-double of 20 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists to help the Elasto Painters snap a three-game losing streak by recording a 121-94 win over NLEX Friday night.
Wright showcased more leadership this time around, not forcing shots and instead getting his teammates more involved by actively reading the floor and looking for extra passes.
After the match, Rain or Shine head coach Yeng Guiao said Wright “is improving every game” and with the way he performed Friday, the Elasto Painters will have to evaluate again.
“We will meet with the management and coaching staff … He exercised leadership in this game. He was instrumental in limiting the production of Al Thornton who is one of the best scoring imports in this league.”
Thornton was limited to only 19 points and 11 rebounds in close to 38 minutes of action for the Road Warriors.
Photo by PBA Images
“He did a job for us on both ends. We have to make an evaluation whether we want to keep him or make a decision to get another import in. The way he played today, of course, he will give us second thoughts.”
Guiao also felt relieved after the Elasto Painters finally broke out of their slump with an emphatic win. Rain or Shine were +14 in turnover points, +18 in second-chance points, +18 in fastbreak points, and +16 in assists in a resounding victory which gave the team the momentum they needed looking ahead.
“We finally got our rhythm back. Hope it is not too late and we can be consistent with it. We got our running game, passing game, rebounding game back,” Guiao said.
The mentor is wary, though, that it is only one game, but he looks forward to the team playing better the next time out.
“We are still behind in the standings. Coming into this game our simple objective was to break the losing streak and then talk about the next game.”
