NLEX stayed in the hunt for one of the lower playoff spots by turning back Rain or Shine, 94-74, to kick off another PBA quadruple-header Wednesday at the AUF Arena in Pampanga.
In need of a big win in order to avoid falling further in the playoff race, the Road Warriors leaned on their bench and their three-point shooting to improve to 3-5, currently good for eighth in the 2020 Philippine Cup standings.
Kevin Alas led all scorers with 18 points off the bench, while Jericho Cruz scored 17. JR Quinahan added 13.
Cruz hit back-to-back threes to put NLEX ahead by 11, 70-59, to start the fourth quarter, setting the tempo for a Road Warriors side that controlled the tempo for most of the final period.
Back-to-back corner threes later from Anthony Semerad and Kiefer Ravena later gave NLEX an insurmountable 90-74 lead that essentially put the game out of reach.
Rey Nambatac had 15 for the Elasto Painters, who slid to 4-2.