Games today:

(Ynares Center-Antipolo)

5:15 p.m. — Meralco vs Magnolia

7:30 p.m. — NLEX vs TNT

Andrei Caracut played like a man possessed with an inspired game that towed Rain or Shine to the semifinals of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup.

Behind Caracut’s red-hot shooting, the Elasto Painters broke their decade-long playoffs curse against San Miguel Beer with a 113-104 quarterfinal win Friday at the Ynares Center-Antipolo.

Caracut hit six triples for a personal conference-best 29 points. He shot 10-of-17 from the field and added six rebounds and five assists for Rain or Shine’s first postseason series win over the Beermen since the 2016 Commissioner’s Cup semifinals.

“I was just consistent in practice and I know there will come a game when my shots hit their mark. And this was that game,” said Caracut, who only averaged seven points per game heading into the match.

Rain or Shine unleashed a backbreaker 14-3 run after San Miguel closed in 99-97 with 4:27 left in the fourth quarter. Caracut scored a four-pointer and a layup in the decisive blitz that he punctuated with a nifty pass for an and-one play that import Jaylen Johnson completed for a 113-100 lead with 1:15 left.

“We just had a good night. We felt that this is our best chance to get to the semifinals. We earned the twice-to-beat advantage, but we know if we allowed this series to extend to Sunday, we wouldn’t be able to beat San Miguel. This is our best chance to beat San Miguel. We took care of business today,” Elasto Painters head coach Yeng Guiao said.

Caelan Tiongson added 23 points on 8-of-17 field goal shooting including seven triples while Johnson had 23 points and 12 boards for Rain or Shine, which rained down 19 three-pointers.

“Andrei played a great game. Caelan on both sides, defending (Bennie) Boatwright and making his threes, contributing on offense. JJ the same thing. Actually, it was a collective effort of the whole team. Again, it’s the toughness. They were able to deliver the much-needed stops and the points. I think that’s a good sign,” Guiao added.

“We made the semifinals but this is just the start for us.”

Rain or Shine will face in the best-of-seven semis series the winner between Barangay Ginebra and Phoenix.

Boatwright led San Miguel with 24 points and seven rebounds but had five turnovers. CJ Perez had 19 markers, Don Trollano scored 14, Jericho Cruz finished with 12 points and June Mar Fajardo had 12 points and 12 assists in a lost cause.

Meanwhile, reigning champion TNT and NLEX battle for dear life in a do-or-die clash for a semis seat Saturday at the same Antipolo venue.

Tipoff time is at 7:30 p.m. after the sudden death between Magnolia and Meralco at 5:15 p.m.

The Tropang 5G led by celebrated import Bol Bol try to keep their repeat bid alive against a Road Warriors side hoping not to squander their twice-to-beat advantage and No. 1 seeding.

TNT extended its lifeline with a hard-earned 96-93 escape last Wednesday after staving off NLEX’s spirited rally from 10 points down in the final period.

Bol got his usual double-double production with plenty of help from Calvin Oftana, RR Pogoy and veteran Jayson Castro, whose 14 points last game formally entered his name in the elite 10,000-point club.

With their safety net ripped, the Road Warriors are now on equal grounds with TNT. Robert Bolick, who was hounded by early foul trouble in the first game, and reinforcement Cady Lalanne will need to push harder to avoid the boot.

On the other hand, fifth-seeded Hotshots have negated a twice-to-win disadvantage the last time but head coach LA Tenorio knows it will take his team more to upset the Bolts.

“I hope we do more next game on Saturday because what we did today is not gonna be good enough for us to win on Saturday,” said Tenorio after Magnolia’s 95-89 Game 1 escape.