PBA: Caracut, Rain or Shine start hot but fizzle out in Game 3 loss

Rain or Shine guard Andrei Caracut defends Ginebra’s Scottie Thompson during Game 3 of the PBA semifinals.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines–Andrei Caracut refused to sulk on a hot start that went for naught as Rain or Shine dropped back-to-back games to trail Barangay Ginebra 2-1 in their PBA Commissioner’s Cup semifinal series.

Caracut and the Elasto Painters looked poised to take command early when he sizzled for all of his 15 points in the first quarter, all coming from five three-pointers on Sunday at Mall of Asia Arena.

READ: PBA: Ginebra beats Rain or Shine again for 2-1 lead in semis

But Ginebra would slowly respond, eventually taking command from the third quarter onwards, with Scottie Thompson leading the way in a 103-98 win.

“I have need to keep that confidence,” Caracut said in Filipino. “It’s still not done. We treat this as if we lost the first game of a best-of-five series. We just need to recover, we just need to adjust. Just have to stay confident.”

Rain or Shine practically faces a must-win in Game 4, as the outcome could result in the series going all even at 2-2 or see Ginebra produce a third straight win and a commanding 3-1 advantage.

Game 4 is Wednesday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

“I think Ginebra played their game in the third quarter because I think they had a lot of fastbreaks,” he said. “I think that was our game that became their game because they were able to capitalize on our turnovers.”

READ: PBA: Andrei Caracut catches fire with Bella Belen in the crowd

Volleyball star Bella Belen watches Game 3 of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup semifinals between Rain or Shine and Barangay Ginebra at Mall of Asia Arena.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

Rain or Shine led 26-13 in the first quarter behind Caracut, whose shooting exhibition prompted a strong reaction from fans, particularly Capital1 volleyball star Bella Belen, who was in the lower box section with teammates Leila Cruz and Pia Abbu.

Caracut and Belen have been seen together in recent weeks, prompting fans to describe their supposed romantic pairing as “BelDrei.”

Caracut eventually cooled off after his offensive start, which the Rain or Shine guard could only lament.

“Sayang hindi nasundan (Too bad I wasn’t able to sustain it),” he said.