Rain or Shine pours it on

MANILA, Philippines — Locked and loaded with Jaylen Johnson back from suspension, Rain or Shine threw its weight around flat Blackwater en route to a record-shattering triumph No. 4.

The Elasto Painters unleashed their blitz right out of the gate and their 28-8 opening salvo set the tone for a merciless 151-95 rout that kept them spotless and still alone at the top in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup last night.

Running and gunning ROS carved its name in PBA history with this 56-point romp, which now stands as the largest winning margin ever, dislodging the 55-point gap U/Tex posted in a 154-99 demolition of Great Taste back in the 1980 Open Conference.

The Bossing fell to 1-2.

At the forefront of Rain or Shine’s early bombardment was Andrei Caracut, who rifled in four big triples in an 18-point explosion that sparked ROS to a 42-15 tear after the first 12 minutes.

Caracut finished the Holy Tuesday duel at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium with a team-high 22 points and the rest of the gang led by Johnson and rookie Deo Cuajao made sure to follow it through.

Johnson, who sat out the E-Painters’ previous 109-102 win over Meralco as a penalty for his fistfight with TNT’s Glenn Khobuntin, marked his comeback with 20 markers, nine rebounds and four blocks.

Cuajao, who had eight in the initial assault, recorded 15 in a rousing PBA debut. Gian Mamuyac also shot 15 as Jun Roque (13), Adrian Nocum (12) Leonard Santillan (12) and Anton Asistio (12) turned in double-digit productions, too.

Recognizing the height and heft of the Bossing’s 7-foot import Robert Upshaw, ROS went to its trademark speed and transition game. The E-Painters had 38 fastbreak points.

“That’s our identity, we like to get out quickly in transition, try to find our rhythm in open court. That’s how we generate our looks and shots, mabuti pumasok tira namin nagka-momentum sa umpisa pa lang,” said coach Yeng Guiao.

“Alam din namin medyo nag-dyeta pa import ng kabila, baka may advantage pa kami sa side na ‘yun and we’re able to outnumber them in transition. Pagdating kasi sa halfcourt wala kami pang match up sa import nila.”

Caracut found his range after tallying a total of eight points in their first three games.

Later, San Miguel Beer wheeled back on track with a 110-94 dispatching of struggling Macau for an even 2-2 card. The Black Knights plunged to 0-5.

Justin Patton debuted with a 24-17 for SMB while June Mar Fajardo (16-16-6) and CJ Perez (26, including 14 in the third) delivered their usual games.