Second overall rookie pick Paul Lee followed up his strong debut with yet another solid showing as he led the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters to a thrilling 96-93 win over the Powerade Tigers last night in the 37th PBA Philippine Cup at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City.
Lee finished with a team-high tying 19 points, nearly matching his 21-point output in his debut, where he led the Painters to a 94-93 win over the Barangay Ginebra Kings last Oct. 2.
The win allowed the Painters to tie the Petron Blaze Boosters at the top of the standings with identical 2-0 (win-loss) cards.
Jeff Chan also scored 19 points for Rain or Shine and also came up a huge defensive stop in the endgame.
Lee gave the Painters a three-point lead, 96-93, on two free throws in the final 57 seconds.
The Tigers had the chance to move closer in the final four seconds but Celino Cruz missed two freebies.
Powerade secured the offensive for a chance to tie the game but Gary David’s three-point shot was blocked by Chan as time expired.
The match would have pit the top two picks in the Rookie Draft but top rookie Jvee Casio failed to suit up due to a foot injury.
Doug Kramer led the Tigers with 16 points, while Sean Anthony had 13. Rudy Lingganay and Marcio Lassiter had 12 each while Ricky Calimag added 11 but the balanced scoring still wasn’t enough for the Tigers, who dropped to 1-1.