PBA: Andrei Caracut explodes as Rain or Shine ousts San Miguel to reach 5th straight semis 

Andrei Caracut played inspired basketball, helping Rain or Shine end its long playoff curse against San Miguel with a 113-104 win in the PBA Season 50 Commissioner's Cup quarterfinals on Friday at the Ynares Center Antipolo.

Caracut dropped six triples and the dagger four-pointer to finish with 29 points laced with six rebounds, five assists, and a steal as the Elasto Painters ended their four-game playoff drought against the Beermen.

The last time Rain or Shine defeated San Miguel in a playoff series was in 2016 — a run that eventually ended up with the franchise capturing that season’s Commissioner’s Cup title.

Rain or Shine also cruised to its fifth straight semifinals as the Elasto Painters now await their opponent between Barangay Ginebra and Phoenix.

“We just had a good night. We felt na this is our best chance to get to the semifinals,” Rain or Shine head coach Yeng Guiao said.

“We earned the twice-to-beat advantage pero alam namin na ‘pag pinarating namin ng Sunday ‘to, malamang sa malamang, hindi na namin tatalunin ang San Miguel. So this is our best chance to beat San Miguel.”

Rain or Shine pulled away in the second quarter with Caelan Tiongson, Jaylen Johnson, and Caracut hitting triples for a 57-48 lead, but San Miguel responded with an 8-0 run to close out the half trailing by just one, 56-57.

Caracut then fired back-to-back triples before issuing a behind-the-back pass to Santi Santillan as they widened the gap to 80-68 in the third period.

But once again, San Miguel had an answer.

The Beermen unloaded a 15-3 blast behind the duo of Don Trollano and Jericho Cruz to force an 83-all deadlock before heading to the payoff period.

Caracut then just took over in the clutch, firing a triple from the corner and knocking down another one from the top of the key to create a 99-93 lead.

The former La Salle guard then fired the dagger that ultimately eliminated San Miguel from contention by burying a cold-blooded four-pointer that sent Rain or Shine to a comfortable 105-97 advantage in the final moments.

Caracut said his outing, which saw him finish with a playoffs career-high, was his way of proving his worth after a string of low-scoring games.

“Kailangan ko rin bumawi sa mga teammates ko. Ang dami ko ring games na medyo nada-down ko sila,” Caracut said.

“Siguro hindi lang din naman ako, pati mga teammates ko ang ganda ng laro.”

Aside from Caracut, Rain or Shine alao drew huge games from Tiongson and Johnson who both finished with 23 points while Adrian Nocum posted 18 markers.

Scores:

Rain or Shine 113 – Caracut 29, Tiongson 23, Johnson 23, Nocum 18, Asistio 6, Clarito 6, Malonzo 4, Mamuyac 2, Santillan 2, Villegas 0, Manaytay 0.

San Miguel 104 – Boatwright 24, Perz 19, Trollano 14, Fajardo 12, Cruz 12, Rosales 10, Ross 7, Lassiter 3, Tautuaa 3, Brondial 0.

Quarters: 27-27, 57-56, 83-83, 113-104.

—JKC, GMA News