Hot Caracut keys Rain or Shine surge

Andrei Caracut feels right at home now with Rain or Shine.

In his third season with the franchise that selected him in the second round of the 2021 Philippine Basketball Association Draft, the 5-foot-11 guard has taken a more active role in the rotation of coach Yeng Guiao at times as a starter, but usually as the one who finishes the game at the point.

And that was none more obvious than in the Elasto Painters' all-important 119-112 win over TNT Tropang Giga that clinched for them a berth in the quarterfinals of the Commissioner's Cup.

The former University Athletic Association of the Philippines Rookie of the Year out of De La Salle University had eight of his 23 points in the fourth quarter and was part of the unit that went on an 11-0 run in the homestretch that finally took the fight out of the Tropang Giga.

For good measure, Caracut added four assists and two rebounds in Rain or Shine's fifth straight win in an amazing turnaround that saw the Elasto Painters initially lose their first five games of the season.

Caracut's numbers and huge role in the win over TNT of a game with playoff atmosphere clinched for him the PBA Press Corps-Pilipinas Live Player of the Week for the period of 5 to 7 January.

The 28-year-old guard edged Meralco's Chris Newsome in a tight voting among the men and women who cover the PBA beat for the first weekly honor to be handed out for 2024.

Newsome got a piece of the votes after likewise playing a pivotal role in the Bolts' 85-80 upset of No. 1 team Magnolia in an out-of-town game in Iloilo City.